A DOZEN students stranded on Dartmoor in freezing rain were rescued by helicopter early on Tuesday evening after making an emergency call on a mobile telephone.
The youngsters, aged between 15 and 16, from Bedford School were on a Duke of Edinburgh award scheme expedition on the moor. They called for help when two of their team showed symptoms of hypothermia after a day of awful weather.
An Air-Sea Rescue Sea King helicopter was dispatched from RAF Chivenor in North Devon. It picked up members of Plymouth section Dartmoor Rescue Group, training in the Two Bridges area at the time, to help conduct the search.
WPC Karen Stiven, of Tavistock Police, coordinated the operation.
'They were out in the middle of nowhere on the other side of Bear's Down,' she said.
'It would have taken ages to find them on foot, but they were easily found within five minutes by helicopter.'
A paramedic on board treated the two hypothermia cases and all 12 were taken directly to hospital, where they were later joined by their teachers.
'They were very very cold and wet because of the extreme weather conditions,' said WPC Stiven. 'To be on the safe side they were all taken straight to Derriford.'
There are not thought to be any serious injuries.