VIDEO: Woman '˜lucky to be alive' after Cave Hill rescue

The 20-year-old had apparently fallen at Cavehill Country Park in Belfast on Tuesday afternoon.

Locals David McCrum and Richard Lamont raised the alarm after finding a handbag on Wednesday morning. The 20-year-old woman was taken from the mountain by helicopter. She is now in a stable condition.

“She was in a hole which, I imagine, saved her life as that kept her from going into hypothermia,” Mr McCrum told the BBC.

“She said a gust of wind took her. The cold air was passing over the top, she was a very lucky girl.”

After finding a handbag early in the morning, Mr McCrum said he and Mr Lamont returned to the scene to discover a coat and hat.

“I looked down to see roughly where she fell and I heard a voice saying ‘hello’. I came across her and couldn’t believe it. I was amazed, it was unbelievable.

“I had a connection there, whenever I was looking at her face and into her eyes - looking at someone that was gripping to life. It was touching, all sorts of emotions were going through my head.”

The woman was taken from the mountain by helicopter on Wednesday and is now in a stable condition in hospital.