AN INDEFATIGABLE mountain rescue team attended a whopping number of call-outs in one day as snow caused havoc across the Llyn Peninsula.

Aberglaslyn MRT faced five call-outs on Saturday, as many as they have tackled in total since 1 January this year.

Their previous call-out before their frenetic 19-hour day took place on Friday morning when they were called to a man with severe chest pains but, sadly, the casualty passed away before the rescuers could attend.

The team faced an early morning on the Saturday as they battled against extreme weather conditions, not knowing that they would not return to their beds until much later that night.

Just before 3am, the team was alerted by North Wales Police that four males were trapped in their vehicle in the vicinity of Llanengan due to heavy snow.

The team deployed two vehicles and spent three hours reaching the casualties with the assistance of a local farmer and his tractor.

Once it was established that the car’s occupants were safe and well they were left in the care of the local farmer who managed to tow them out.

Almost directly afterwards, the volunteers were tasked to Abersoch to assist staff from Ysbyty Gwynedd who were unable to leave their homes due to snow.

Having just stood down from the previous incident, the team was redirected to Abersoch where they conveyed medical staff to Pwllheli so they could be picked up safely.

The second call-out was soon followed by a third, as the team was once again requested by North Wales Police to assist district nurses in the Pen Llyn area to access a patient in the Aberdaron area who needed their services.

Aberglaslyn MRT deployed two vehicles and worked through the snow to reach Rhoshirwaun, where they were met by Aberdaron’s Coastguard Rescue Team who had approached from the other side of the drifts.

Whilst conveying the medical staff to help a patient, the team’s assistance was requested by the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust who were unable to reach another patient who required hospital admission.

Fortunately the team was only a short distance away and the team arrived quickly to find paramedics had walked the 1km to the address, and had provided care.

With the mountain rescuers’ assistance, the patient was evacuated from their home address and conveyed to a waiting ambulance on a road which had been cleared.

Just as the team was retiring for a well-earned break, a final call out to assist Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team was received at 4.30pm.

Aberglaslyn MRT deployed team members to assist them and the casualty was carried down Snowdon.

The team stood down at approximately 9pm and returned home an hour later, resulting in an 19-hour day for some of the rescue workers.

A spokesperson for the team said: “We had five callouts [on Saturday] and it’s possibly been the busiest day in a long while due to orrendous weather conditions in Pen Llyn.

“Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue Team is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions; some come by post from people who we have rescued or who have been with the people that were rescued.

“If anybody would like to donate, please visit http://www.aberglaslyn-mrt.org/donation.html”See this week's north editions for the full story, in shops and online tomorrow