A 77-year-old grandfather and his 19-year-old grandson were rescued from the Lake District during a seven-hour mountain operation after an iPhone's emergency SOS feature automatically alerted emergency services. The incident demonstrates the potentially life-saving value of smartphone safety features, which enabled rapid response despite challenging weather conditions that prevented helicopter landing.

The two casualties were discovered by fellow walkers near Skew Gill, a steep ravine on the route to Scafell Pike, around 8.30pm on Thursday. The injured grandfather suffered wrist and knee injuries; a Coastguard helicopter was unable to land due to adverse weather, so 14 volunteers from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team travelled on foot to the site and conducted an urgent evacuation. The two walkers who discovered them remained with the casualties until rescue arrived, and the operation concluded around 3.30am when the grandfather was handed over to paramedics.