Walker rescued after being swept over Moffat waterfall
- Published
Moffat Mountain Rescue Team was called to assist the multi-agency response
An injured walker was airlifted to hospital with multiple injuries after being swept down a burn and over a waterfall.
The man lost his footing and fell into the burn at the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall near Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway.
Moffat Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) said he was swept downstream and fell 10-15m over one of the upper waterfalls.
He was then swept further along the burn.
The alarm was raised at about 10:30 on Saturday.
A coastguard rescue helicopter and a helimed trauma team were called in along with the mountain rescue team, police and fire service.
The man, who had broken bones, was winched from the water onto a path where he was assessed and given pain relief before being flown to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
The rescue took four hours with the teams battling 40mph winds.
James Coles, Moffat MRT team leader, said: "He lost his footing and slipped in. The main waterfall is huge, fortunately he didn't go over that one, but there is a series of upper waterfalls.
"He was swept along the burn then over the waterfall and was then swept further along the burn and somehow he managed to stop himself.
"He was there with friends and they raised the alarm. It was a bit of bad luck, they were trying to take photos of the lovely scenery and it appears he slipped and ended up in the burn."
The main waterfall, which is further downstream from where the man ended up, is one of the highest in the UK and plunges 60m (197ft) from Loch Skeen.
A Moffat MRT spokesman said: "With gusts of wind up to 40mph, all teams involved had a challenging day on the hill before being stood down at 2.30pm."