Runaway teen helped to safety by mountain rescuers

The boy had absconded from Dolgellau

A 14-year-old boy who ran away from a residential home in Gwynedd has been helped by a mountain rescue team after injuring his leg on tree-felling waste.

Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team were called at about 22:00 BST on Tuesday when carers were unable to reach the boy, who lives in Dolgellau.

He had become stuck among timber debris on a steep slope and his carers could not get close enough to help him.

Volunteers gained access to the site and walked the boy down safely.

Team member Graham O'Hanlon said rescues had become more complicated because of new safety protocols put in place during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Firstly, we try to reduce exposure by deploying the bare minimum number of volunteers required to resolve each incident," he said.

"Social distancing is hard to maintain when attending to casualties or carrying a stretcher, so volunteers need also to be equipped with PPE suitable for working close to others, and once the job is completed all equipment and clothing needs to be cleaned.

"A process of symptom monitoring, both of casualty, bystanders and team volunteers must then take place to identify any subsequent need for self-isolation. Each job has got quite a lot more complicated."