Swiss Airlines rescues two Vietnamese climbers

Air Zermatt rescuers have rescued two Vietnamese climbers trapped on the Matterhorn after they were in a life-threatening situation at an altitude of more than 3,500m.

Two Vietnamese climbers stuck on the top of Matterhorn. (Source: Imago)

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 top of the Matterhorn when they fell into a life-threatening situation at an altitude of more than 3,500 meters.

According to a 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 peak, Air Zermatt quickly assessed the situation and deployed plans.

Due to the very bad weather, rescue by air or road was not possible, so Air Zermatt decided to send 3 experts from the Zermatt rescue station to climb the Matterhorn to the site of the accident.

After a journey by the Zermatt Bergbahnen cable car system to the Schwarzsee point, experts reached the location of the two Vietnamese climbers. At an altitude of more than 3,500m, rescue experts found the two climbers in distress.

The announcement added that two climbers were trapped in difficult terrain and suffered from severe hypothermia.

Because planes could not reach the scene, experts had to rappel down to where the two climbers had crashed and then bring them back to the normal route using a rope system.

The announcement also assessed that the snow and ice made the rescue operation a huge challenge for the rescuers. After a journey, the experts and two climbers took refuge in Hörnli Hut.

At the same time, Air Zermatt prepared a helicopter to be ready to evacuate people from Hörnli Hut.

Finally, after hours of waiting, the crew was able to take off towards the Matterhorn summit and bring both the climbers and rescuers to safety, ending the 14-hour rescue.

Air Zermatt’s assessment said that without timely assistance, the two Vietnamese climbers might not have survived the harsh conditions on the snowy mountain peak. After being examined by doctors, the two climbers returned home./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/hang-hang-khong-thuy-si-giai-cuu-hai-nha-leo-nui-viet-nam-post979090.vnp