VIDEO: 999 rescue after reports of walkers struck by lightning

Rescue services raced to a Highland mountain range last night after a group of hillwalkers were reportedly struck by lightning.

Police joined mountain rescuers and HM Coastguard in the rescue which focused on the Mamores, near Kinlocheven, Lochaber.

Police Scotland said: “We are working with HM Coastguard, Glencoe Mountain Rescue and the ambulance service after receiving reports that persons have been struck by lightning in the Mamore mountain range.

“Rescue efforts are continuing.

“The number of people involved or their condition is not available at the present time.”

The lightning strike is said to have occurred on Na Gruagaichean, a 3,465ft Munro on the eastern side of the Mamores.

The area is extremely popular with walkers because there is a well-defined pathway to the summit.

Residents in Kinlochleven reported lightning following a spell of torrential rain around 8pm last night.

One said: “We haven’t seen lightning like that in a very long time. The ground actually shook.”

The range is one of the most photogenic in Scotland, offering stunning views.

Until a sudden downpour last night, the weather in the area had been good.

Lying between Glen Nevis and Loch Leven, the Mamores are popular with walkers but are challenging peaks.

The main ridge of the range stretches more than 10 miles and contains 10 Munros and the treacherous Devil’s Ridge.

In 2017, schoolboy Rian Duncan, 12, suffered burns to his skin after lightning struck his walking pole as he descended Schiehallion in Pertshire.

In 2015, two walkers died and two others were injured in separate lightning strikes in the Brecon Beacons in Powys, Wales.

Experts say a lightning bolt making contact with the ground can carry up to 30,000 amps of electrical current – roughly 2,300 times more electricity than powers domestic appliances.

However, it is not only direct strikes that can put climbers in peril as a strike close by can put electricity into the surrounding ground and inflict injury on walkers nearby.

During a thunderstorm, walkers are advised to sit on their rucksacks with their feet off the ground and wait for the storm to pass.

They should not shelter under trees, in caves or near water.