RAF team describe mountain rescue

A woman and three children from Stroud who were saved from a gully 3,000ft up in Snowdonia had a "narrow escape", their RAF rescuers have said.

Sgt Edward Griffiths from "C" Flight, 22 Sqn RAF said the group were found in the difficult terrain of Wye Gully.

"Usually this means they have all the gear, ropes, belays and carabiners. This group had tried to scramble down in the bad weather," he added.

The rescue operation on Wednesday took six hours to complete.

Three attempts by an RAF rescue helicopter from Valley in Anglesey to reach the four stranded on Tryfan were thwarted.

On the third attempt the helicopter winchman got within 20ft when the aircraft was forced to pull out.

A boy was found clinging to rocks in the bad weather but the children were escorted off the peak after they were eventually reached by Ogwen Valley mountain rescue team.

The woman, the mother of two of the children, was accompanied down Tryfan until she could be winched aboard the rescue helicopter and flown off the mountain.