Mournes rescue team at five emergency callouts

Mournes rescue team at five emergency callouts

17 September 2025

THE Mourne Mountain Rescue Team responded to five emergency calls at the weekend.

The first alarm was raised on Friday afternoon, with three calls in relatively quick succession on Saturday afternoon and one in the evening.

The scale of the alerts stretched the team’s resources to the limit, with additional help sought from the Fire and Rescue and Ambulance Services.

Shortly before 2.15pm on Friday, the rescue team was requested to assist a walker who sustained a serious leg injury while descending Slieve Binnian. 

The casualty was located and treated for injury and exposure to the elements before they were prepared for evacuation off the mountain.

Given the incident location was just below the summit of the peak, the team requested helicopter assistance with Rescue 936 responding, but it was unable to assist due to on scene conditions. 

As a result, the rescue team had to evacuate the casualty on stretcher to a vehicle access and transfer them off the mountain into the care of the Ambulance Service.

A total of 15 team members who responded were stood down at 7.10pm, with the volunteers grateful to all those who assisted, including landowners.

The first of Saturday’s four incidents happened just after 1pm.

Rescue team volunteers went to the assistance of a walker who fell and sustained serious leg injuries while descending the Annalong Valley. 

The injured walker was treated and evacuated by stretcher to a rescue team vehicle for transfer to its base before onward transfer to hospital.

While the team was responding to this call, a second call emergency alert was received at 3.30pm for a similar incident involving a walker descending the Glen River Valley. 

By-passers provided essential assistance and had already started to move the casualty down the valley towards track access. 

Further rescue team members responded, locating, treating and evacuating the casualty to a team vehicle for transfer to base before onward transfer to hospital. 

Given the stretch on resources, the rescue team was grateful to be joined by a crew from Newcastle Fire and Rescue and an Ambulance Service crew. 

While both initial calls were underway, a third emergency call was received shortly after 4pm.

This time it involved a walker who sustained a historical injury, aggravated by the descent off Shanslieve. 

As the walker was still mobile, albeit, team coordinators gave the casualty’s party direction  to descend to the Glen River path where they were met by the Ambulance Service crew and accompanied down to the scene of the second incident. 

After reaching track access, the casualty was transferred by team vehicle to be taken to Donard Park for onward transfer to hospital.

Given the potential for a third stretcher evacuation, the rescue team requested assistance from the Police Search and Rescue Team which was already en route.

And shortly before 8pm, the team was wrapping up from the first three calls, it received a further call regarding a high risk missing person. 

Thankfully, while the team were initiating a response, the person was located safe and well, with the rescue team grateful for the help provided over the course of a busy day by PSNI call handlers.

Newcastle Fire and Rescue, the Ambulance Service, Police Search and Rescue and the public for their valuable assistance today. 

The weekend events also prompted the rescue team to inform anyone in need of assistance in the Mournes to always dial 999 and ask for the police or mountain rescue.

The advice is that when the 999 call has been completed, it’s absolutely essential that people keep their phone free so that a rescue co-ordinator can call them back to confirm/expand on information. 

The rescue team says if they experience delays getting back to people for critical information, their response can be delayed.