A British mountaineer, Fay Manners, and her American companion, Michelle Dvorak, were rescued from the Himalayas after being stranded for three days.
According to The Guardian, Manners, 37, and Dvorak, 31, were climbing the Chaukhamba Mountain in northern India when they lost their connection on Thursday, October 3, 2024, after sending the last SOS message.
The climbers said that their climbing equipment and tent were swept away into a ravine by a rock fall.
Moreover, an Indian Air Force helicopter rescued the climbers and brought them back to the land at 7 a.m. local time on Sunday.
In a statement on X, the Indian Air Force wrote, “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.”
It further asserted that after battling two days with bad weather, the IAF's Cheetah helicopter rescued Manners and Dvorak from 17,400 feet.
Furthermore, Manners told local reporters, “We were pulling up my bag, and she (Dvorak) had her bag on her. And the rockfall came, cut the rope with the other bag, and it just went down the entire mountain.”
She added that they sent messages to their friends, who told the rescue team about them, after which a team of mountaineers came for help.
To note, Indian Army and Air Force officers participated in the 8-hour rescue operation of the foreign climbers.
