14 hours to rescue two Vietnamese climbers trapped on the Matterhorn peak at over 3,500m

On September 24 (local time), the rescue department of the Swiss airline Air Zermatt, which specializes in providing mountain helicopter services, said it had carried out a rescue of two Vietnamese climbers stuck on the top of the Matterhorn when they fell into a life-threatening situation at an altitude of more than 3,500m.

After receiving urgent news on the morning of September 24 about two climbers from Vietnam having an accident on the top of the Matterhorn, Air Zermatt quickly assessed the situation and deployed plans.

Due to the very bad weather, rescue by air or road was not possible, so Air Zermatt decided to send 3 experts from the Zermatt rescue station to climb the Matterhorn to the site of the accident.

After a journey by the Zermatt Bergbahnen cable car system to the Schwarzsee point, experts reached the location of the two Vietnamese climbers. At an altitude of more than 3,500m, rescue experts found the two climbers in distress.

The statement added that the two climbers were trapped in difficult terrain and were suffering from severe hypothermia. Since aircraft could not reach the scene, experts had to rappel down to where the two climbers had fallen and then bring them back to the normal route using a rope system.

The announcement also assessed that snow and ice made the rescue operation a huge challenge for rescuers.

After a journey, the experts and two climbers took refuge in Hörnli Hut. At the same time, Air Zermatt prepared a helicopter to be ready to evacuate everyone from Hörnli Hut.

Finally, after hours of waiting, the crew was able to take off towards the Matterhorn summit and bring both the climbers and rescuers to safety, ending the 14-hour rescue.

Air Zermatt's assessment said that without timely assistance, the two Vietnamese climbers might not have survived the harsh conditions on the snowy mountaintop. After being examined by doctors, the two climbers returned home.