Five men have been found after a large-scale search in the Cairngorms, where winds reached 165mph

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Five hillwalkers who went missing in the Cairngorms in Scotland during the worst storms the country has seen in a decade have been found safe.

A large-scale land and air search was launched on Thursday for the five men, who left to walk from the Spittal of Glen Muick area at lunchtime on Wednesday.

Grampian police joined forces with Tayside police and Marr search and rescue to comb a large area from Loch Muick to Glen Clova in the national park.

The men were well-equipped, but Grampian police said there was serious concern due to weather conditions which saw hurricane-strength winds hit much of Scotland on Thursday.

Two of the men are aged 29 and the others are 30, 31 and 40. The alarm was raised on Thursday night by a relative.