14 hours to rescue two Vietnamese climbers trapped on the Matterhorn peak at over 3,500m

An announcement posted on the homepage of the Swiss airline Air Zermatt, which specializes in providing mountain helicopter services, said that on September 24 (local time), the airline's rescue team carried out a rescue of two Vietnamese climbers stuck on the Matterhorn peak when they fell into a life-threatening situation at an altitude of more than 3,500m.

Photo caption — Image of Air Zermatt rescue operation. Photo: VNA

According to the VNA reporter, after receiving urgent news on the morning of September 24 local time about two climbers from Vietnam having an accident on the Matterhorn, Air Zermatt quickly assessed the situation and deployed plans. Due to very bad weather, rescue by air or road was not possible, so Air Zermatt decided to send three experts from the Zermatt rescue station to climb to the Matterhorn to the location of the accident. After traveling by the Zermatt Bergbahnen cable car system to the Schwarzsee point, the experts went to the location of the two Vietnamese climbers. At an altitude of more than 3,500m, the rescue experts found the two climbers in trouble. The announcement added that the two climbers were stuck in difficult terrain and suffered from severe hypothermia. Because aircraft were unable to reach the scene, experts had to rappel down to where the two climbers had fallen and then bring them back to the normal route using a rope system. The statement also assessed that snow and ice made the rescue operation a huge challenge for rescuers.

After a journey, the experts and the two climbers took refuge in the Hörnli Hut. At the same time, Air Zermatt prepared a helicopter to evacuate everyone from the Hörnli Hut. Finally, after many hours of waiting, the crew was able to take off towards the Matterhorn summit and brought both the climbers and rescuers to safety, ending the 14-hour rescue. Air Zermatt's assessment said that, without timely support, the two Vietnamese climbers might not have survived the harsh conditions on the snowy mountain. After being examined by doctors, the two climbers returned home.

Mr. Hien (Vietnam News Agency)

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-de-quan-tam/14-gio-giai-cuu-hai-nha-leo-nui-viet-nam-mac-ket-tren-dinh-matterhorn-cao-hon-3500m-20240925041506570.htm