Climber dies and another injured after avalanche on Ben Nevis

A climber has died and another was injured after an avalanche on the north face of Ben Nevis.

Police Scotland said they were made aware of the avalanche at around 3.35pm on Friday.

The Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and a helicopter were dispatched to help two climbers, amid challenging weather conditions.

A 48-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and a 40-year-old was taken to hospital for treatment.

A spokesperson for the rescue team said they were called out after being alerted to the avalanche and located the two casualties.

They added: “Sadly one had sustained fatal injuries and the other was seriously injured after a slide of 600 metres (approximately).

“With the weather creating some challenging conditions the helicopter was limited to the assistance it could offer.”

It took eight hours to transfer the casualties to hospital amid the tough conditions, the spokesperson said.