RAF Helicopter Catches Fire After Landing In Yr Aran In Snowdonia

Black smoke billowed into the air, but no one has been injured.

An RAF helicopter has burst into flames after a hasty landing on a mountain in Snowdonia.

The training chopper made a precautionary landing on Yr Aran in north west Wales after a “technical issue” and it caught fire, with flames reaching 10ft into the air, according to witnesses.

The four people aboard got off before it caught fire and emergency services are on the scene, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said.

Witness Huw Price tweeted a picture of smoke billowing into the air from a mountain, saying he could see a “huge fire”. He took photos from nearby peak of Mount Snowdon.

Think a helicopter has crash landed on top of mountain across from Snowdon. Huge fire, can see the flames from here pic.twitter.com/4kgZWPEyGF

— Huw Price (@huw_price) August 9, 2016

One guy on his way down from the summit said he saw a helicopter land there. Another had binoculars and reckons flames 10ft plus

— Huw Price (@huw_price) August 9, 2016

Thick smoke from Yr Aran, hikers believe they saw a helicopter crash.Emergency services on way; hope everyone’s okay pic.twitter.com/J8NJXD1QvC

— NT Snowdonia & Llŷn (@NTSnowdoniaLlyn) August 9, 2016

Price said two rescue helicopters were circling and one of them winched a person to safety, though this appeared to be a separate incident, he added.

Rescue helicopter arrived - I'm on the Snowdon summit now pic.twitter.com/IVNw8mCu5R

— Huw Price (@huw_price) August 9, 2016

Separate event - rescue helicopter almost eye level with us at the summit of Snowdon rescuing a walker pic.twitter.com/CDJIXvyyNS

— Huw Price (@huw_price) August 9, 2016

An air ambulance and a coast guard helicopter were dispatched to the scene, the BBC reported.

The helicopter was a Griffin training one, used by the RAF’s Search and Rescue Training Unit.

An air exclusion zone has been put in place.

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