British teenagers hailed as heroes for saving stranded climbers in the Pyrenees

The seven air cadets and two teachers from Tyneside were on an hiking expedition in the Pyrenees mountains when discovered two injured Belgians lying in the snow.

They then found another FIVE wearing flimsy beach-wear and clinging to a narrow outcrop of rock almost 2,000ft above them.

The Britons called a French mountain rescue helicopter before giving first aid to the two injured men who had suffered broken bones and a punctured lung.

Heroes: Pilot Officer Emma Stewart, Cpl Mathew Chamberlain, Cpl Dominic Jones and Flt Lt Will Close-Ash

Air cadets' team leader Flight Lieutenant William Close-Ash, 35, said: 'When one of my cadets saw blood on the rock face, I went to see and found two peole lying in the snow.

'They were both barely conscious and were wearing just t-shirts and shorts.

'We used three first-aid kits to stop the bleeding, and we put one of them in a sleeping bag becasue he was starting to suffer from hypothermia.'

The team then hiked back up the mountain to save five more stricken Belgians who had become trapped in the snow-storm, he added.

Flt Lieut Close-Ash continued: 'When I reached them they said asked me if I was mountain rescue and I said "No, I'm a teacher".

To the rescue: Cpl Dominic Jones watching over one of the casualties during the rescue

Danger passed: The first casualty is winched to safety during the rescue

'They were very near the summit. Once I got to them they wouldn't come to me because they were on a verge that was particularly treacherous, so I had to go over to them and bring them across.

'They were not at all ready for what was their first mountain climb. They only had about half an hour left before they lost consciousness.' 

Mr Close-Ash and the air cadets had been making their way back down the 8,000ft Pic de Canigou on the French-Spanish border when the dramatic rescue took place on Thursday afternoon.

He added: 'I'm so proud of them. We spent a lot of time doing this sort of training but you never expect they'll have to put it into practice. To see them handle it with such courage was amazing.'

French mountain rescuers later praised the seven teenagers on the Newcastle Air Cadet's Pyreneen expedition as 'heroes'.

Spokesman Luc Fromou said: 'They acted very swiftly to give medical attention and call us to the scene.  

'These Belgians were totally ill-equipped to be mountaineering. Without being found, all seven could have died up there.'

On alert: The team approaching the scene of the accident