Ten Tors Event Abandoned

You'll almost certainly be aware of it already thanks to copious national press coverage, but the army abandoned the annual Ten Tors expedition for 14-20 year olds on Saturday night triggering a mass evacuation of the moors.

The decision was taken after heavy rain led to swollen rivers creating risks judged by the organisers to be unacceptable. In a six-hour operation starting at dawn on Sunday, around 2,400 young people were escorted to Okehampton using a mixture of helicopters, feet and wheeled-transport.

The Guardian quotes a controller for the Dartmoor Rescue Group as saying conditions on the moor had been 'horrendous' and the organisers, mindful of the tragic death by drowning of a participant in training earlier this year, made the sensible decision to abandon the event. Participants will still be awarded their Ten Tors medals.

More details at www.guardian.co.uk / news.bbc.co.uk / Ten Tors 2007