A daring 11-hour rescue was launched after two climbers were buried in a massive avalanche.
The pair, who are expert mountaineers, had been trying to summit Mount Shasta in California on Sunday when they were hit with a tidal wave of snow, sweeping one of them 1,000 feet down the side of the mountain.
The area they were hit is aptly called Avalanche Gulch.
Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from one of the injured climbers shortly before 12:30 pm. The stricken climber reported he was hurt and stranded at 12,200 feet.
But difficult weather conditions prevented the injured parties from being helicoptered off the mountain so instead rescue crews had pull them out by foot.
Brit 'saw her insides' after being cut open by propeller on luxury diving trip
Read more: Shocking video shows devastating aftermath of super tornado in southern China as five killed
Rescue teams mustering before the operation (Siskiyou County Sheriffas Office / Facebook)
One of the stricken climbers being rescued (Siskiyou County Sheriffas Office / Facebook)The sheriff's office reported: "Strong winds and poor visibility inhibited the helicopter’s ability to safely land near the climbers, so the SCSO Search and Rescue Team mobilised, along with US [Forest Service] Climbing Rangers and a group of professional mountain guide volunteers to begin an extraction operation on foot."
Luckily a break in the weather allowed a rescue chopped to land just above the tree line but still 6,000 feet below the climbers. The rescue teams climbed into the night and carried the stricken men to the helicopter by foot.
The two men has originally planned to snowboard down from the summit. They suffered non-life threatening injuries and are recovering in hospital. One suffered a knee injury and the one who was thrown down the mountain suffered a broken femur and a "deep crampon puncture wound,” officials said.
The sheriff’s office took the opportunity to remind the public of the dangers of mountain climbing.
Rescue teams worked late into the night (Siskiyou County Sheriffas Office / Facebook)“It is worth noting that the two climbers caught in the April 27 avalanche were highly skilled mountaineers with extensive experience on Mount Shasta,” the department said.
“Their ordeal and the 11-hour rescue process that followed are reminders that no amount of experience makes one immune to the hazards encountered on Mount Shasta, and that ever-changing mountain conditions can turn a rapid-extraction operations into a time and resource-intensive process.”
At least three people were killed after a different avalanche smashed into a popular Swiss ski resort on Easter Monday, according to police.
Authorities confirmed three bodies were found after people went missing in Zermatt, in the southern canton of Valais, on Easter Monday. A fourth person was found with injuries and flown to a nearby hospital. Valais police said in an April 1 post shared on X, formerly Twitter, that "several people were swept away" by the avalanche which struck at about 2pm. It was tragically confirmed that three people, including one teenager, had died and that another was injured.
"The deceased include a 15-year-old American, a man and a woman, whose identification has not yet been completed," Valais police confirmed in a statement shared with The Mirror. "In the case of the female victim, we do not yet have any clues as to the identity." The injured victim is a 20-year-old Swiss man, police added.
Cowboy gored to death by bull in New Year's Eve rodeo tragedy
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
