A British climber has been rescued from a mountainside in India, having been trapped there for three days.
Fay Manners, 37, and American Michelle Dvorak, 31, were trekking up the Chaukhamba mountain in northern India when they ran into difficulties.
There were fears the two experienced mountaineers wouldn’t make it back down after their equipment fell down a gorge, leaving them stranded, The Sun reported.
They sent a distress signal down to their base camp, reports said, before authorities were eventually able to mount a rescue and airlift them from 17,400ft (5,300m) days later.
In a celebratory post on Instagram, Ms Manners shared a photo of her and Ms Dvorak and said: “We are back down and safe.”
The British and US climbers posing with rescuers in Joshimath, Uttarakhand. Pic: Indian Air Force/Reuters
Both appeared uninjured and in good spirits.
The rescue operation began on 4 October and they battled through bad weather and took 80 hours before it was successful, Indian News Agency IANS said.
It was conducted by the Indian Air Force, local disaster response forces, the army, and the local administration.
A French climbing party played a key role in rescuing the duo, Explorers Web reported, after they were initially stranded at 6,500m (21,325ft) but the group helped them descend to the altitude where they were eventually airlifted from.
According to The Telegraph, Ms Manners told reporters, after her rescue, how they had lost their equipment.
She said: “We were pulling up my bag and she had her bag on her, and the rockfall came, cut the rope with the other bag, and it just went down the entire mountain.
“We sent a message to our friends and they knew.
“I live in France and that team is also coming from France… and so they had told [the rescuers], ‘Oh they are stuck on the mountain, they have no equipment’.”
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In a statement, the Indian Air Force said: “The rescue of two foreign (US & UK) mountaineers from Chaukhamba III trek in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli is a testament to the resilience and skill of the Indian Air Force, along with the collaborative efforts of SDRF, NIM, and French mountaineers.
“After battling two days of bad weather, the IAF’s Cheetah helicopter airlifted the climbers from 17,400 feet, showcasing remarkable coordination in extreme conditions.”
A FCDO spokesperson previously said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman reported missing in India and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Source Agencies
