IAF carries out rescue operation at Kolahoi Glacier

The Indian Air Force on Sunday rescued a trekker after his team fell in a crevasse at the Kolahoi Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir.

Hazik Mushtaq Beigh was trekking in the Kolahoi Glacier area along with two of his friends when they fell in a crevasse. Two of them were fatally injured, while Hazik suffered serious injuries and required immediate evacuation to a medical facility.

On receiving the information, the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force sent immediate help, launching two Cheetah helicopters, with Wing Commander Vishal Mehta and Flight Lieutenant Mittal.

However, the plan to winch the victims was not possible due to their injuries, and extreme weather conditions made it almost impossible to land the chopper. The officers then flew to Awantipur and removed the side doors to reach the spot once again. Wing Commander Mehta then managed to land on a small spot flat land and rescued the mountaineer.

"The spot was such that it did not offer any place to land, we had established that winching the casualty was out of the question, hence only one option was left. I told my wingman to orbit overhead while I tried to land on a small flat land. It was immensely satisfying when Hazik was saved," said Mehta.