The lightning struck within a metre of the men on Aran Fawddwy

Two walkers were airlifted to hospital after a lightning strike on a Snowdonia mountain.

The men were close to the 905m (2,969ft) summit of Aran Fawddwy today when they were hit by an electrical storm.

The walkers, from Buckinghamshire and aged 58 and 37, suffered paralysis in their legs when the bolt of lightning hit the hillside about a metre away from them.

Three rescue teams were alerted after the incident about 1.30pm.

A spokesperson for Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue Team said: “The Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team was alerted to reports of two injured men close to the summit of Aran Fawddwy.

“Initial reports suggested that they had sustained three broken legs between them, but it subsequently transpired that they had been caught up in a sudden electrical storm that disabled the mobile phone network in adjacent districts.”

The spokesperson said both were paralysed in the legs, but one regained some feeling while the other was unable to move his lower body.

“The difficult atmospheric conditions and low cloud base made the prospect of a helicopter evacuation unlikely, and the prospect of a double stretcher evacuation over difficult terrain meant that the South Snowdonia Search and Rescue Team and the Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue Team were called to assist.

“In the meantime, a rapid response party from the Aberdyfi team and a Snowdonia national park ranger got to the casualties quickly to assess the situation, and a sudden lifting of the cloud base allowed a rescue helicopter from RAF Valley to extract the casualties to Ysbyty Gwynedd for further medical care.”

An electrical storm is one of the most difficult weather phenomena for walkers to deal with.

Advice is to try to find a hollow piece of terrain with higher ground both above and below. Metal equipment such as ice axes and walking poles should be placed a few metres away and the walker should try to sit on his or her rucksack and avoid touching the ground.

Summits and pinnacles are particularly susceptible to direct lightning strikes. Overhangs and caves should be avoided and walkers are advised to look for the early onset of electrical storms, which are usually presaged by towering cumulonimbus clouds.