40 mountain rescue volunteers rescue injured youngsters from the Peak District

Four mountain rescue teams and a helicopter rescued injured youngsters practising for their Duke of Edinburgh award in an operation that took ten hours with temperatures plunging to minus ten degrees.

By The Newsroom

Published 2nd Apr 2018, 18:06 BST

Updated 2nd Apr 2018, 19:11 BST

The rescue helicopter was a welcome sight.

At around 7pm on Saturday Holme Valley MRT and colleagues from Woodhead set off toward the Black Hill area of the Pennine Way after two of the seven strong party sustained leg injuries.

Four had carried on to Crowden where they were due to camp to raise the alarm while another stayed with the two casualties.

For an hour a helicopter made repeated attempts to access the moorland but was unable due to poor visibility and weather.

Casualties are stretchered along the moorland.

Meanwhile Oldham MRT and Glossop MRT were drafted in to help stretcher the casualties over the three mile journey to safety.

At 1.38am the first of the three was evacuated and an hour later the helicopter was finally able to airlift the other two to the Northern General Hospital at Sheffield.

Rescuers made their way back to their vehicles by 5.30am.

Sheffield