AN experienced North-East walker died after plunging 170ft down a mountain.

Graham Bunn, from Stockton, fell after losing his footing at the summit of the 2.451ft Yr Aran, in Snowdonia, North Wales, shortly before 3.30pm on Saturday.

His wife, Anne, could only watch helplessly as her 46-yearold husband fell.

She climbed down to him and gave him the kiss of life in a desperate effort to revive him.

With no signal on her mobile phone, Mrs Bunn, also 46, shouted for help for 45 minutes until she was heard by another walker, who came to her aid.

The walker, called Jason, who was from Bath, phoned for help and Mr Bunn was airlifted to hospital by an RAF helicopter.

But there was nothing doctors could do and he was pronounced dead.

An inquest into Mr Bunn’s death has been opened and adjourned by the coroner for northwest Wales.

Mrs Bunn said: “I think that’s the way he would have wanted to go – doing what he loved.

“We were both on the summit, I was actually on the cairn. I saw him fall backwards. All I can think of is he slipped. We don’t know whether there was any other medical issue.

“It took me about ten minutes to get down to him. I was with him on my own for about 45 minutes, it is a very isolated hill.

“I was in shock, but I gave him the kiss of life.”

The couple have been together for 28 years, marrying 12 years ago in 1998. They had no children.

Together they had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, along with peaks and treks in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

They have also climbed all 283 Munros, Scotland’s highest mountains, as well as many other peaks.

Mrs Bunn said: “He had a lot of time for people.

“As a person, he was just so sociable. He had a lot of mates and he had a very good sense of humour. He was very caring and considerate as well.”

His funeral will be held at St Peter’s Church, in Yarm Road, Stockton, on Monday, at noon.