IAF Rescues US, UK Mountaineers Stranded at 6,015m on Uttarakhand's Mount Chaukhamba III After 80-Hour Operation

Oct 6, 2024, 06:45 AM

Two foreign women mountaineers, Michelle Theresa Dvorak from the USA and Fay Jane Manners from the UK, were successfully rescued after being stranded for three days at an altitude of 6,015 meters on Mount Chaukhamba III peak in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, India. The climbers lost all their major equipment during the ascent and became trapped on the icy mountain face. The rescue operation, which lasted over 80 hours, was a collaborative effort involving the Indian Air Force (IAF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, local administration, Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), and French mountaineers. The operation began on October 4, and despite battling two days of snowstorms and low visibility, the mountaineers were safely evacuated on Sunday morning. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commended the armed forces for their remarkable rescue and evacuation effort, highlighting the joint planning and coordination with national and state agencies.