This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/24/aiden-webb-inquest-girlfriend-bluebell-baughan-tried-to-help-vietnam-climber-fansipan
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Aiden Webb inquest told how girlfriend tried to help Vietnam climber | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The girlfriend of a climber who died on Vietnam’s highest mountain has told an inquest how she attempted to help him after he got into difficulty. | The girlfriend of a climber who died on Vietnam’s highest mountain has told an inquest how she attempted to help him after he got into difficulty. |
| Aiden Webb, 22, had set out on a solo ascent of the 3,143 metre (10,312ft) Fansipan mountain when he tried to avoid a landslide and lost the trail path, his girlfriend, Bluebell Baughan, said in a written statement. | Aiden Webb, 22, had set out on a solo ascent of the 3,143 metre (10,312ft) Fansipan mountain when he tried to avoid a landslide and lost the trail path, his girlfriend, Bluebell Baughan, said in a written statement. |
| She was also on holiday in Vietnam and stayed in contact with him over text and Facebook when he slipped and cut his upper arm and then hurt his knee as night drew in. | She was also on holiday in Vietnam and stayed in contact with him over text and Facebook when he slipped and cut his upper arm and then hurt his knee as night drew in. |
| “I was becoming very fraught when he said he had become lost and couldn’t find the trail,” Baughan said. “We realised the last cable car was gone and he had to spend the night on the mountain.” | “I was becoming very fraught when he said he had become lost and couldn’t find the trail,” Baughan said. “We realised the last cable car was gone and he had to spend the night on the mountain.” |
| She said he was not wearing anything on his upper body, was shivering with cold and wanted to find shelter. “I told him it was too dark and dangerous [to move],” Baughan said. | She said he was not wearing anything on his upper body, was shivering with cold and wanted to find shelter. “I told him it was too dark and dangerous [to move],” Baughan said. |
| Webb had said his legs had been soaked since 8am on 3 June, when he set out. Baughan continued messaging him into the early hours of 4 June. | Webb had said his legs had been soaked since 8am on 3 June, when he set out. Baughan continued messaging him into the early hours of 4 June. |
| At 3.29am, he sent a message to say he had decided to try going back down the mountain on a trail beside a stream. | At 3.29am, he sent a message to say he had decided to try going back down the mountain on a trail beside a stream. |
| In the final text he sent, at 6.18am, Webb agreed for Baughan to raise the alarm and request help. Her reply was not delivered to his phone. | In the final text he sent, at 6.18am, Webb agreed for Baughan to raise the alarm and request help. Her reply was not delivered to his phone. |
| Webb’s body was found in water in a ravine almost a week later, in an area with many cliffs, deep gorges and slippery surfaces, police said. | Webb’s body was found in water in a ravine almost a week later, in an area with many cliffs, deep gorges and slippery surfaces, police said. |
| They concluded that Webb had drowned while unconscious after a fall. His parents asked for the postmortem not to be carried out in Vietnam. | They concluded that Webb had drowned while unconscious after a fall. His parents asked for the postmortem not to be carried out in Vietnam. |
| A postmortem was conducted after his body was repatriated to the UK, but failed to establish a cause of death because the body had been embalmed. | A postmortem was conducted after his body was repatriated to the UK, but failed to establish a cause of death because the body had been embalmed. |
| The examination noted cuts and scratches caused by climbing, but no fractures or haemorrhages. | The examination noted cuts and scratches caused by climbing, but no fractures or haemorrhages. |
| On Monday, the area coroner Yvonne Blake recorded an open verdict at Norfolk coroner’s court in Norwich. The inquest was not attended by Webb’s family. | On Monday, the area coroner Yvonne Blake recorded an open verdict at Norfolk coroner’s court in Norwich. The inquest was not attended by Webb’s family. |
| “We know that he was trying to climb Fansipan mountain alone,” she said. “We know that he got into difficulties, he was injured and had a deep cut on his arm. | “We know that he was trying to climb Fansipan mountain alone,” she said. “We know that he got into difficulties, he was injured and had a deep cut on his arm. |
| “He said he badly hurt his knee and couldn’t move very well, and we know he was found in a stream. The medical cause of death was unascertained as he was embalmed.” | “He said he badly hurt his knee and couldn’t move very well, and we know he was found in a stream. The medical cause of death was unascertained as he was embalmed.” |
| Webb, who was born in Norwich, lived in Attleborough, Norfolk, and had been a student at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. | Webb, who was born in Norwich, lived in Attleborough, Norfolk, and had been a student at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. |
| In a written statement, his parents, Simone and Trevor Webb, said: “Aiden was such a joy to be around. We’re incredibly close as a family and feel privileged to have been his parents.” | In a written statement, his parents, Simone and Trevor Webb, said: “Aiden was such a joy to be around. We’re incredibly close as a family and feel privileged to have been his parents.” |