Rescuers placed the injured man in a stretcher. Photo: OVMRO

Mountain rescuers joined paramedics and a helicopter crew to reach an injured man in a remote ravine in north Wales.

Police and ambulance crew members requested the help of Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation at the incident near Eglwysbach in the Conwy valley.

The team was alerted at 1.45pm on Saturday.

Chris Lloyd of Ogwen Valley MRO said: “The team deployed a Land Rover loaded with five team members and rescue equipment from their base in the Ogwen Valley.

“Other members, local to Eglwysbach, made their way up narrow single track roads to a remote house south-east of Eglwysbach.

“The ambulance had made a bold effort to drive as far as possible, then the two paramedics descended the steep vegetated ravine banks to find the 70-year-old man with a broken hip slipping in and out of consciousness. He was also getting cold.”

He said the ambulance crew had initially requested the help of an air ambulance, but none was available.

“As they needed suitable equipment and person power, they had called for mountain rescue,” Mr Lloyd said.

Team members set up a rope system to allow rescuers and paramedics safe access up and down the slope of the ravine.

The scene of the incident, with rescue team members and the Coastguard helicopter. Photo: OVMRO

Mr Lloyd said: “It was realised that a ride in the ambulance along those narrow and rough tracks would be to the detriment of the casualty, so a request was made for the Coastguard’s helicopter from Caernarfon. It was able to land in the field.”

The injured man was hauled up the slope on a team stretcher and carried to the waiting helicopter. The Ogwen Valley MRO doctor and the injured man’s wife also boarded the aircraft for the flight to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

The incident ended shortly after 5pm, with team members then returning to the base in the Ogwen Valley to hang up kit to dry.