The two Italians found themselves trapped in the wall on Friday and were rescued a day later after an uncomfortable night on the famous rock face. Apart from slight hypothermia, they were uninjured.
The two men had alerted the Operations Centre on Saturday morning, Rega reports. They had previously spent a night in the so-called “death bivouac” at around 3,300 metres above sea level. They were unable to continue their climb due to fresh snow.
An initial rescue attempt failed, Rega said. A reconnaissance flight had to be cancelled due to strong downdrafts. However, the crew was able to localise the two men in the wall. On the instructions of Rega, the two men then descended a little further.
Due to fog and strong winds, a further rescue attempt was only possible in the late afternoon, according to Rega. Rega lowered one of two rescue specialists from Swiss Alpine Rescue on board the rescue helicopter directly to the two Italians.
This man and the two mountaineers were then flown up to Kleine Scheidegg by cable winch.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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