Desperate hunt for missing hiker after he posted clip climbing Ben Nevis

A major search has been launched for a missing man on Ben Nevis after he posted a film of himself while climbing the mountain.

Tomas Gafrik, from Slovakia, was last heard from on Thursday morning when he shared a video on social media while half way up the peak.

Rescuers were called out and have been working around the clock to find Tomas before snow and heavy winds kick in on Monday.

The rescue team said forecasts for Ben Nevis on Monday predict 50-80mph winds with extensive heavy snow.

A social media post from Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said: “The missing person Tomas Gafrik from Slovakia was last heard of on Thursday morning when he posted on social media a short film of himself just above Half Way Lochan on Ben Nevis.


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“Nothing has been heard of him since. His intention after going up  Ben Nevis was to visit the "fjords" in this area so we need to check if he has been seen since in case the search on the Ben is a wild goose chase.”

Police Scotland have shared his picture and are now urging people to contact them if they have seen him since Thursday morning.

The post said: “The forecast on Ben Nevis for tomorrow, Monday 24th Feb, is for 50-80mph winds with extensive heavy snow which will make any search around summits extremely difficult.”

The latest search comes after two hillwalkers fell to their death last week.

A 37-year-old died on Thursday on  Spidean a’Choire Leith  – the highest summit of 3,461 ft Liathach in Torridon.

And last Sunday Richard Armstrong, 42, from Wigton, Cumbria, plunged nearly 100ft on the way up 3278ft Stob Ban on the south side of Glen Nevis in Lochaber.

Mr Armstrong was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was recovered in a six-hour operation by the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team during the height of  Storm Dennis.

The fatalities came after Lochaber MRT rescued four tourists in a -20C blizzard on Ben Nevis and found three of them wearing trainers.

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