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Two young men tragically lost their lives on a mountain ridge amid severe winter weather, having made a 999 call that, according to a police expert at an inquest, was not escalated appropriately. The deceased, Eddie Hill, aged 20, and Jayden Long, aged 19, both from Dereham in Norfolk, were discovered by a mountain rescue team in Eryri—also known as Snowdonia—on February 19. Their deaths occurred on Crib y Ddysgl, a ridge reaching 1,065 meters (3,494 feet) in elevation, located less than a mile north of Yr Wyddfa’s summit and connected to the precarious ridge of Crib Goch.
The mountain rescue operation was hampered by insufficient information regarding the location and nature of the emergency call, delaying immediate action. Philip Benbow, the lead coordinator of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue team, testified at Gwynedd Coroner’s Court in Caernarfon that North Wales Police had informed him on the evening of February 18 about an abandoned 999 call made hours earlier by a man believed to be on Crib y Ddysgl. This call was later confirmed to have originated from Jayden Long’s mobile phone.
Benbow described the conditions on the ridge as “full winter conditions” and revealed that, while the two had spiked footwear, they lacked essential equipment such as crampons and ice axes. He also noted that although Long’s family mentioned he had experience walking in areas like the Lake District and Peak District, this was his first time in Snowdonia. Warning signs in the area cautioned that certain routes, including Crib Goch—a route characterized as an “extreme scramble”—required experienced climbers. Despite being alerted to the abandoned call, Benbow stated there was not enough information at the time for the rescue team to deploy immediately.
Detective Constable James Lloyd of North Wales Police’s professional standards department acknowledged during the hearing that efforts were made by the control room to re-establish contact with the caller; however, he admitted the incident “wasn’t escalated as it should have been.” He further explained that the force had learned from this event and would improve procedures to ensure similar calls reach mountain rescue teams more promptly. During questioning by Long’s father via videolink, Lloyd faced accusations of “incompetence,” though he maintained that the police force did not cause the men’s deaths. Assistant coroner Sarah Riley concluded that the cause of death for both men was due to falls down steep mountainous terrain resulting in multiple traumatic injuries. While it remains unclear whether the two fell together or if one fell attempting to aid the other, she recorded an accidental death verdict. Highlighting the need to prevent future tragedies, Riley announced that a report addressing concerns about the inadequate response to the initial emergency call would be sent to North Wales Police, who will be required to respond within 56 days
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