Canoeists in hospital after Loch Ness rescue

One of kayaking group during the rescue with crew member Sandra Delday

TWO canoeists have been taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after being dramatically rescued from Loch Ness.

Kayakers Roland Hinxman (28) and Robin Ashby (27) got into difficulty when their boat capsized at around 3.45pm yesterday (Tuesday) on the water between Urquhart Castle and Foyers on the south shore after the weather took a turn for the worse.

Rescuers from the Loch Ness RNLI swung into action, and with help from Aberdeen Coastguard, who were in touch with another member of the canoe group by mobile phone, they located the casualties.

They picked up Mr Ashby from the water while Mr Hinxman managed to reach the shoreline and was found trying to scramble his way up a 45 degree slope towards the A82.

Both were suffering varying degrees of hypothermia and were taken to Raigmore Hospital.

Martin Douglas, who led the Loch Ness RNLI rescue team, said while they were searching for the second casualty Mr Hinxman, tourist boat skipper John Minshull of Deepscan came to assist and played a part in saving the life of the first man they found.

He said: "From our perspective, that was a critical event that played a significant part in saving his life. He has an enclosed warm boat with heaters and he took the first casualty to the lifeboat station, knowing the ambulance was there."

Meanwhile, the lifeboat team set about locating Mr Hinxman, who they found making his way up steep scree hill towards the A82, which Martin described as being "dangerous" in any condition.

He said: "He was in a very poor state, was very hyperthermic and was deteriorating rapidly."

He explained that team members Joy Cameron and Ian Putnam worked together to bring the man onto the boat, where he was given oxygen and placed inside a windproof bag.

He was also swiftly taken to the lifeboat station. Both men were treated at the scene, in an ambulance and at Raigmore, where they were transferred at around 4.45pm.

The crew then returned to rescue three people who had been in a second canoe when the first capsized. They were taken back to the lifeboat station, where they were fed and warmed up.

Martin described it as being "a difficult rescue in challenging conditions".

A video link of the rescue will be available at later at www.lochnesslifeboat.co.uk.