An 87-year-old man has been airlifted to hospital following a seven-hour rescue operation on one of Scotland’s most remote islands.
Three coastguard teams from Stornoway, Tarbert and Scalpay and a helicopter were scrambled to St Kilda at around 2.20pm following reports of a person in difficulty on cliffs.
The island is around 40 miles west of Uist and the other Outer Hebrides.
Two coastguard cliff technicians were drafted in to rescue the man, who had suffered cuts to his legs, from the edge of the cliff.
He was then taken to hospital via helicopter.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that the incident was over by 10pm.
A spokeswoman said: “The extraction took a long time due to the remote location.
“The casualty, an 87-year-old man, was recovered from the cliff ledge by two coastguard cliff technicians and then taken to the Western Isles hospital by the Stornoway based coastguard helicopter.
“The casualty was conscious, he had suffered lacerations to his legs, which the winchman paramedic had treated.”
Pensioner airlifted from remote island cliff after seven hour rescue operation
