In a difficult mission, Indian Air Force pilots successfully rescued a German couple who were stuck in snow squall in Lahaul-Spiti region of the Himalayas.<br /><br />The couple, Michael and his wife Annettee, were trekking from Ringdum to Dibling in Himachal Pradesh when they were caught in a blizzard.<br /><br />For two days, incessant snowfall prevented any movement and by then the couples’ supplies had run out. Michael decided to activate his Personal Rescue Beacon (PRB) as a last resort.<br /><br />An Indian Air Force facility received the message and deployed Siachen Pioneers Helicopter unit based at Leh for the rescue mission.<br />Two helicopters piloted by Wg Cdr Dey and Wg Cdr Pradhan of the Siachen pioneers got airborne at 6 am on September 25 and headed in the probable direction of the PRB, but on initial approach did not find anything.<br /><br />“We went back to where the footprints had started and worked our way backwards. A little ahead we found a grey protrusion which initially looked like a rock face, but on closer inspection found the edges to be flapping due to wind. Soon Michael came out of the tent, which we thought was a rock and waved to us” said mission leader Wg Cdr Dey.<br /><br />“The site was on an incline of 35-45 degrees and we could not land the helicopter. I held on a low hover and my co-pilot jumped out to ascertain that these were the people we were looking for and their medical condition.”<br /><br />The pilots picked up the couple and flew them to a medical facility on Leh. Though Michael had developed a frost bite, the couple are recovering well.
