Three people rescued by helicopter from a gorge in Valais Keystone-SDA

Three people were rescued by helicopter from the Joli Gorge near Niedergesteln in southwestern Switzerland on Friday. To carry out the rescue, a rescue specialist was lowered on a 50-metre rope into the gorge, which is up to two metres wide in places.

The three people were unable to leave the gorge under their own steam. The Valais Cantonal Rescue Organisation (KWRO) therefore alerted Air Zermatt, the helicopter company said on Monday. Following a thunderstorm, the Joli stream was carrying a large volume of water, which made the operation even more difficult.

After an extensive search, the crew discovered the stranded individuals beneath a boulder. To carry out the rescue, the pilot lowered a KWRO rescue specialist down a 50-metre longline between the narrow rock faces.

In the process, the pilot lost visual contact with the rescuer. He had to maintain the helicopter’s precise position above the gorge, which was up to 50 metres deep, and rely entirely on the rescuer’s radio instructions.

The rescue specialist prepared the three people for transport. They were then winched out of the gorge and flown to Niedergesteln. All three escaped unharmed.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist. 

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