150-metre fall Rega rescues alpinist on the Brienz Ridge at night thanks to thermal imaging
On Thursday night, Rega and mountain rescuers from the SAC rescue an injured alpinist on the Brienz Ridge in Bern. They succeed thanks to thermal imaging and a cable winch. The man had fallen 150 meters in a thunderstorm.
12.07.2024, 07:36
12.07.2024, 09:43
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- Two alpinists got caught in a thunderstorm on the Brienzer Grat in the Bernese Oberland. One fell 150 meters into impassable terrain.
- The other alerted the rescue services.
- Rega was able to locate the man who had fallen thanks to thermal imaging.
- The man survived the fall and the thunderstorm with undetermined injuries.
A thunderstorm caught two mountaineers by surprise on Wednesday evening on the Brienz Ridge in the Bernese Oberland. They lose sight of each other and one of them searches unsuccessfully for the other.
What he doesn't know is that his companion has fallen into steep terrain. In the end, the uninjured man continues on to the nearest mountain hut to get help.
Rega uses a helicopter to search for the missing man, but is unable to find him. Darkness and further thunderstorms make the operation more difficult. The Bernese cantonal police and a mountain rescuer from the SAC are also involved in the search.
Winch rescue in the dark, in heavy rain
At 11 p.m., a specially equipped Rega helicopter, which is fitted with a thermal imaging camera, takes off. The emergency services are now struggling to distinguish the ibex and other wild animals from the man they are looking for.
The emergency services discover the missing man injured around 150 meters below the hiking trail. The terrain is steep and impassable.
Now a rescue helicopter is deployed again. "The subsequent rescue with a second Rega helicopter proved to be very challenging due to the darkness, another thunderstorm cell and heavy precipitation, and had to be briefly interrupted in the meantime," writes Rega about the mission.
Against all odds, the injured man was winched up and flown to the nearest suitable hospital. The nature of his injuries is not known.
