Air Force rescues UK, US women stranded in Himalayas for 3 days
The foreign mountaineers were attempting to climb the Chaukhamba III peak in Chamoli where they got stranded for three days
Two women mountaineers - Michelle Theresa Dvorak from the USA and Fay Jane Manners from the UK, were rescued on Sunday morning, after being stranded at a height of 6,015 metres since October 3, reported news agency PTI.
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The two women were attempting to scale the Chaukhamba III peak in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, which is situated at 6,995 metres, in a foreign mountaineering expedition organised by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation.
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They had arrived in News Delhi on September 15 and were experienced climbers. In 2022, they become the first female duo to climb the Denali, North America's highest peak at 6,200 metres, reported The Times of India.
The two women's last communication with their liaison, Shweta Sharma via pager, revealed that their bag with food and vital climbing gear had fallen into a gorge while they were at a height of 6,015 metres. That was their last communication before they got stranded on October 3.
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Air Force's Rescue Op
After their disappearance was noted, a joint operation by the Indian Air Force (IAF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the State Disaster Management Authority carried out over two days led to their safe evacuation.
Two IAF helicopters began a search operation to track them on Friday. They were joined by climbing trained SDRF personnel on Saturday as the fog and adverse weather conditions were hampering the search and rescue operation.
After they were rescued, though tired, the two women were all smiles as they were brought to the Jyotirmath (Joshimath) helipad by IAF and SDRF personnel on Sunday morning. Though they were stranded with limited food for three day, the two appeared to be safe, reported PTI.
