Tributes have been paid to two young men who died while hiking on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in north Wales. Eddie Hill, 20, and Jayden Long, 19, both from Norfolk, were found dead in Eryri National Park on Thursday after a major search operation in severe winter conditions.
The pair were reported missing on Wednesday after losing contact with family and friends. Three mountain rescue teams, search dogs, and a coastguard helicopter combed the mountain that day and into the night, discovering two bodies the following day.
Family and friends described Hill and Long as caring and 'pure individuals'. Long's sister, Josie, called him an 'amazing, kind and caring big brother', adding: 'Words cannot describe how loved he was by everyone.' His grandmother, Bernadette Smith, said: 'Jayden is our beautiful loving grandson. He will be greatly missed.'
Harry Hill described his elder brother Eddie as a 'beloved son' and 'the most amazing brother', saying: 'Words cannot describe the pain that me and my family and friends are going through at the moment.' A friend of the two wrote: 'Ed and Jay... you were both the most amazing and beautiful people in my life.'
North Wales Police confirmed the bodies were located and recovered, and the coroner has been notified. The chair of Llanberis mountain rescue team, Jurgen Dissmann, said volunteers worked 'long hours through the night in difficult weather' but were 'deeply saddened' by the outcome. The Llanberis community council clerk, Heather Jones, advised people to take extra care in the mountains.
