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Climbers Died After Disconnected 999 Call
28 Oct
Summary
- Two climbers died on Snowdon after a 999 call was disconnected.
- Police were alerted over three hours after the dropped call.
- New protocol to handle dropped calls from mountain areas.
Two climbers, aged 19 and 20, tragically died on Mount Snowdon in February after a critical 999 emergency call was disconnected. Jayden Long and Eddie Hill, who had traveled from Norwich, were attempting to climb Snowdon when adverse weather conditions forced them to turn back. Their 999 call to North Wales Police on February 18th was cut off, and despite attempts to call back, mountain rescue services were not alerted until over three hours later.
The climbers were discovered the following day, having fallen down steep, icy terrain. An inquest revealed that North Wales Police lacked standardized procedures for handling emergency calls from mountain areas, creating a significant risk of future deaths. In response to the tragic events and the coroner's warnings, the police force has updated its guidance.
The revised protocol now instructs staff to consider alerting mountain rescue teams when receiving silent or disconnected 999 calls from confirmed remote or mountainous locations, especially if confirmed by location services. This proportionate measure acknowledges the challenging geography of North Wales and aims to improve response times in critical situations.
