How many people died in the Ben Nevis avalanche? All you need to know
A horrified eyewitness said he saw 'huge powder clouds' as the avalanche gripped Britain's highest mountain
MOUNTAIN rescue teams rushed to the UK's highest peak after climbers were caught in "huge powder clouds" when a deadly avalanche struck Ben Nevis.
Located in the Scottish Highlands, we look at what happened during the massive snowslide, and how many people lost their lives as a result.
How many people died in the Ben Nevis avalanche?
Three climbers have died and another one was injured after an avalanche on Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain.
Police Scotland were alerted to the incident shortly after 11.50am on Tuesday, March 12, and began co-ordinating a mountain rescue response.
The avalanche occurred at Number 5 Gully.
Initially, cops said two climbers had died and two were injured, but later on Tuesday confirmed one of the injured climbers had also since died.
The fourth climber was flown to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
Donald Paterson, deputy team leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said the four men had been hit by a "massive" avalanche that fell 1,500ft on top of them.
The climbers are all believed to be Swiss.
He said: "They were hit by a massive, massive avalanche.
"It must have fallen from 4000ft at the top - and fell 1500ft onto them. It swept them away.
"A guide and an avalanche recorder from the Scottish Avalanche Information Service saw what happened and raised the alarm.
"One of the climbers died pretty instantaneously, the other had CPR for half an hour but sadly did not respond and the other died while being taken down the mountain."
A horrified witness said he saw "huge powder clouds" as the avalanche swept across the mountain.
Volunteers from Lochaber and Glencoe Mountain Rescue Teams attended the scene, helped by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and paramedics.
The Scottish Ambulance Service sent an air ambulance, three ambulances and a trauma team to the peak.
The BBC reports that a group of military personnel training in the area also offered help.
Ben Nevis, near Fort William in the western Highlands, is a popular destination for experienced climbers, attracting 125,000 visitors each year.
Have there been any other recent fatalities on the mountain?
The Press Association reports that Tuesday's incident follows two recent fatal accidents on the mountain which at 1,345m is the UK's highest.
On New Year's Day a 21-year-old German woman, who was a student at Bristol University, died after she fell from a ridge she had been climbing with three other people.
She had been hiking on what is known as the "ledge route" when she fell around 500ft.
In December last year Patrick Boothroyd, 21, from West Yorkshire, died after falling more than 1,600ft in the Tower Gully area.
The man was scaling the mountain with a fellow climber from Cardiff University Mountaineering Club, who miraculously survived being carried away by loose snow with just a couple of broken bones.
The pair were going through a cornice - an overhanging ledge of snow - near the top when it collapsed on them.
The perilous climb has resulted in fatalities in the past, although the exact numbers are unclear.
In July 2017, a after falling on Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis.
Three people died on the Scottish mountain in 2016, including who died in an avalanche in February.
According to , in 1994 15 people lost their lives on the mountain - double the number of the previous year.
Where is Ben Nevis?
Located in Scotland, Ben Nevis is at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William.
Ben Nevis is a popular destination for visitors to Scotland and attracts an estimated 100,000 ascents a year.
The summit, which is the collapsed dome of an ancient volcano, features the ruins of an observatory which was continuously staffed between 1883 and 1904.
The picturesque Glen Coe National Scenic Area surrounding Nevis in the Scottish Highlands is also a natural draw for tourists.
How tall is the Scottish mountain?
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles, standing at a mighty 1,345 metres above sea level.
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How long does it take to climb?
There are three paths to ascend Ben Nevis, the tourist path for novice walkers, and experienced hillwalkers can take the Torlundy route north east of Fort William and Gorge car park at Steal.
The normal time taken to climb to the top by the tourist path is three and a half to five hours, but coming down is much faster and estimated to take between one and a half to two and a half hours.
But novice walkers are warned not to undertake the trek up Ben Nevis between November and May or during bad or cloudy weather.
The walk is just over four miles each way, a total of eight and a half miles in all.
Climbers are advised to return by the same path they ascended, and should take a map and compass.
What can you wear to climb Ben Nevis?
Mountains are there to be conquered - but only in the right footwear.
Trainers are not suitable for the tourist path as it can become very slippery when wet, and make sure to dress warm in layers as the temperature at the summit is just below freezing on average.
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