500th Air Zermatt rescue since the beginning of the year
On Friday afternoon, Air Zermatt flew its 500th rescue since January 1, 2022, and the number keeps growing. Over the weekend alone, 35 more rescue missions were added. In order to master the numerous missions over the weekend, sometimes up to five Air Zermatt helicopters were in the air at the same time.
Air Zermatt was mainly called out for winter sports accidents over the weekend. A person who was caught in an avalanche on the Mittelgabelhorn on Saturday and subsequently fell several hundred meters down a slope was lucky. Miraculously, the person could only be flown to the hospital in Visp with minor injuries.
Air Zermatt was also called out to two crevasse rescues over the weekend. A walker accompanied by his wife fell about 25 meters into a crevasse on Plateau Rosa above Zermatt. The man died in this crevasse accident and the rescue proved to be extremely difficult. On a snowshoe tour at Längflüe above Saas-Fee, two people accompanied by a mountain guide also fell into a crevasse. Both people were rescued and flown to the hospital in Visp.
Crevasses and avalanche rescues are always material- and time-intensive. In these situations, Air Zermatt works closely with rescue specialists from the region.
In addition to the numerous winter sports accidents, Air Zermatt was also involved in two transfers by helicopter over the weekend. One person was so seriously injured on the piste in Albinen that he had to be flown directly to the University Hospital in Berne. On Saturday, Air Zermatt also flew a child from Visp Hospital to the Children's Hospital in Zurich.
Miraculously, the person caught in an avalanche was flown to Visp hospital with only minor injuries.
