'Horrendous News' in Search for Scottish Hikers

3 found dead after setting out to hike notorious ridge
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 7, 2023 2:50 PM CDT
Three Hikers Found Dead in Scottish Highlands
The Scottish Highlands are shown in this 2017 photo.   (AP Photo/Brian Melley)

The bodies of three missing hikers were recovered from a mountain in the Scottish Highlands after they didn't return from a notoriously difficult scramble on one of the narrowest ridge crests in Britain, police said Monday. The trio set out Saturday in Glen Coe to hike the Aonach Eagach, a 6-mile knife-edge ridge that tops out at 3,600 feet and has precipitous drops. A search began after sunset when they didn't return, police said. A Coastguard helicopter flying in fog and mist located the bodies and a search and rescue crew returned Sunday morning to recover them, the AP reports. The deaths did not appear to be suspicious but a report will be given to the office that investigates deaths and prosecutes crimes, police said.

Police did not provide names of the dead. While storm Antoni lashed parts of the UK on Saturday with strong winds and heavy rain, the forecast in the Highlands was for light rain in the afternoon and temperatures as low as 41 degrees at 6pm. The British Mountaineering Council lists the trek as the "most legendary Grade 2 scramble in Scotland," meaning it doesn't require using a rope for safety but some people would be more comfortable having one. Kate Forbes, the Scottish Parliament member for the area, described the deaths as "horrendous news," the BBC reports. "My thoughts are with the families," she said. "My sincere appreciation to mountain rescue, as always, and the emergency services."

(More Scotland stories.)

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