Hikers rescued off Swiss mountain thanks to Israeli alert
A group of nine hikers were evacuated by Swiss rescue helicopters after using their satellite phone to alert a call centre in Israel.
They were helicoptered from the Corona di Redòrta mountain in Ticino in southern Switzerland on Friday evening. The young adults were surprised by bad weather and a drop in temperature.
The nine people, originally from Israel, sounded the alarm using a satellite emergency call device, the Swiss rescue organisation Rega shared on Saturday. Their call for help was passed on to an emergency call centre in Israel, which then contacted Rega’s Operations Centre.
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An initial search flight by the Rega crew from Locarno in Ticino was unsuccessful. However, one of the hikers was able to send a photo to the rescue organisation, which enabled the exact location of the group to be determined.
With the help of two specialists from Swiss Alpine Rescue and an additional helicopter from Eliticino Tarmac, the hikers were finally transported to the valley. They were unharmed, but in a state of hypothermia.
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