Ex-Royal Marine from Midlothian shot while fighting off gun-wielding pirates during 3,186-mile Amazon trek

Midlothian man shot by pirate while trying to navigate the Amazon in a world record attempt

A former Royal Marine from Midlothian has spoken of his terrifying ordeal after he was shot by a pirate during a charity expedition in South America.

John Bathgate says he and fellow ex-Marine Ian Roberts were attacked by two gunmen close to the Colombian border and John was shot during the attack.

The brave adventurers, who were trying for a world record – to complete the journey from the Volcán Chimborazo glacier summit through 3,186 miles (5,128km) of wilderness to the Atlantic Ocean – eventually disarmed their assailants and paddled to safety in a Peruvian village.

John Bathgate and Ian Roberts have told of having to fight off gun-wielding pirates using paddles during a charity expedition in South America Photo: @summit_to_sea_23/Instagram

John, 34, and Ian, 35, had been hoping to raise awareness of environmental issues and the connection between mental health and spending time outdoors with charity Summit to Sea.

Talking about the moment the challenging adventure took a dramatic turn for the worse, the pair wrote on social media: “Unfortunately, we've had to postpone Amazon Summit to Sea. Last week, in a remote part of the river, close to the Colombian border, we were attacked by two pirates.

“In a fight where we used paddles against pistols, we fought them, disarmed them, disabled their craft, and then managed to get ourselves and our equipment to safety.

“Unfortunately, John sustained two gunshot wounds during the fight, but due to Ian's care and our bootneck attitude, he was comfortable and stable by the time the cavalry arrived...

“The Peruvian and Brazilian Navy and Marines arrived with an armada of support and whisked us back to Iquitos, showing incredible care and professionalism."

The post continued: “The quick actions of friends in Iquitos, family in the UK, and Garmin emergency response meant that we received the highest of care, and the ordeal didn't develop into a life-threatening situation.”

John is now safely back at home in Midlothian recovering from his ordeal.

Speaking to the BBC, John admitted he had been “incredibly fortunate” and his recovery was going “very well”.

He said: ”It feels really nice to reassure family and friends, however it's frustrating. It means we're back to square one again and it's going to be a lot of planning and stress to get back out there. What we really want to do is finish this expedition so there's mixed feelings about being back.

”The Peruvian people are fantastic. This was an isolated and on the whole they're very hospitable and very nice people. We can't wait to go back and meet all of our Peruvian friends."

The daring duo hope to return to the South American country within 12 months to finish the expedition.