Fan y Bîg, scene of one of the rescues. Photo: Philip Halling CC-BY-SA-2.0

An injured walker was rescued after a member of the public reported seeing a man ‘who looked a little lost’.

Members of the Central Beacons and the Brecon Mountain Rescue Teams were alerted on Friday morning after a 63-year-old man from Talgarth was reported missing when he failed to return from a walk on Pen y Fan, the highest peak in south Wales.

The team members were holding a pre-search briefing when Dyfed-Powys Police reported that the member of public had seen the mountain rescue team vehicles assembling and had seen an elderly man, five minutes down the road, looking lost.

Rob Jones of the Central Beacons team said: “A snatch team was sent to investigate and found the man they were looking for.

“He had wandered off the path and took a tumble, injuring his head. He walked down to the roadside at first light. He was transported to hospital for treatment and observation.”

Simon Woodhead, from Brecon MRT, added: “The gentleman had a lucky escape. Had he been on the mountain all night in normal conditions for this time of year then he may not have survived.

“We received the call out at 10:30am and he was found near the roadside, still dazed and confused and taken to hospital.”

The callout was the first of five over the weekend. On Saturday morning, South Wales Police request the mountain rescue teams’ help in looking for an elderly man who had gone missing after going to walk his dog the previous evening.

Mr Jones said: “When the dog turned up in the morning covered in mud the search was actioned, but to no avail. The search and police enquiries are ongoing.”

Later on Saturday, Central Beacons MRT was joined by colleagues from the Western Beacons Search and Mountain Rescue Team in treating an injured mountain biker in the Afan Argoed area.

The man, who had suspected pelvis injuries, was stretchered to a waiting air ambulance and flown to hospital. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service also attended the incident.

Some of the members of the rescue teams were diverted while en route to the injured mountain biker to deal with another call for help from a 67-year-old man from Merthyr Tydfil on Fan y Bîg, who had stumbled and injured his leg.

Members of Central, Brecon and Longtown MRTs along with the dog handlers from the Search and Rescue Dogs Association South Wales took part in the rescue. The man was evacuated to hospital by an RAF Sea King helicopter from RMB Chivenor.

Earlier in the day, the rescuers received a call for help by the ambulance service for a 43-year-old woman, from Rhosgoch, fell while horse-riding with her daughter and broke her ankle. The accident happened on common land above Painscastle, 2km from the nearest road. Brecon MRT members helped paramedics on the scene and the woman was airlifted to hospital by air ambulance.

Mr Jones described the weekend as ‘the busiest for decades’ for the mountain rescue teams.