An elderly long-distance walker who collapsed in pain in the Highlands was rescued today after a distress beacon was picked-up 4,000 miles away in the States.

The RAF, who co-ordinated the Danish man's rescue, said it was the first activation of a new type of distress transmitter, in the UK.

The tourist, who was suffering from acute stomach pains, activated the beacon around 3am this morning.

He was on a long-distance coast-to-coast solo trek when he became ill in Glen Etive, 15 miles south of Fort William.

When he pressed the emergency button on a handset the size of a TV remote control, a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) text message arrived 4,000 miles away in Houston, Texas, at the GEOS Emergency Response Centre.

They contacted police in Fort William, who alerted RAF Kinloss, who in turn sent a Royal Navy Sea King from Prestwick, Ayrshire to rescue the Danish tourist.

The man, thought to be in his 60s, was taken to hospital at Fort William where he received treatment.

Rescue co-ordinator, Flight Sergeant Tim Dickinson, said, "This was a perfect example of excellent cooperation between the police at Fort William and the military search and rescue services.

"We have rescued a Danish tourist in the Scottish mountains following an emergency call from the USA, using a Royal Navy helicopter and co-ordinated by the Royal Air Force."

He said he would encourage the use of such systems by walkers and yachtsmen.