Drone lost in search for missing hillwalker recovered – but his body remains undiscovered

Rescuers have recovered an expensive drone lost five months ago in the search for a missing hillwalker who plunged 1,600ft to his death on Ben Nevis.

Polish hiker Marcin Bialas, 36, fell in an area close to Observatory Gully and Gardyloo Gully on January 21.

Fresh searches are being mounted to find the body of the hillwalker on the UK’s highest mountain.

Fresh searches to find hillwalker buried in snowdrift

But Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said today that the search area was still more than 30ft deep with snow.

The walker is believed to have fallen through a cornice – an overhanging ledge of snow – and buried deep below the surface.

However in the early days of the search the team lost a drone in bad weather conditions. It was being used to help rescuers look at difficult to reach areas.

Mr Bialas, fell close to the 4411ft high summit.

“Unfortunately there is still loads of snow in the gully where there is still 10 metres plus of snow,” said a spokesman for Lochaber MRT.

“However the Mavik drone which we lost in the early days of the search has been found and after a change of battery is now working”.