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2 Foreign Climbers Rescued after Being Stranded in India’s Himalayas for 3 Days

This photograph shared by Indian Air Force on the X platform shows two foreign climbers, center, who were stranded in India's Himalayas posing with Indian Air Force personnel who rescued them in Uttarakhand, India, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (Indian Air Force on X via AP)
This photograph shared by Indian Air Force on the X platform shows two foreign climbers, center, who were stranded in India's Himalayas posing with Indian Air Force personnel who rescued them in Uttarakhand, India, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (Indian Air Force on X via AP)
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2 Foreign Climbers Rescued after Being Stranded in India’s Himalayas for 3 Days

This photograph shared by Indian Air Force on the X platform shows two foreign climbers, center, who were stranded in India's Himalayas posing with Indian Air Force personnel who rescued them in Uttarakhand, India, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (Indian Air Force on X via AP)
This photograph shared by Indian Air Force on the X platform shows two foreign climbers, center, who were stranded in India's Himalayas posing with Indian Air Force personnel who rescued them in Uttarakhand, India, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (Indian Air Force on X via AP)

Two foreign climbers have been rescued after being stranded for three days on a mountain in India’s Himalayan north.

Fay Jane Manners from the United Kingdom and Michelle Theresa Dvorak from the United States were ascending a rocky section of the Chaukhamba-3 peak in India’s Uttarakhand state when they got stranded there, said Sandeep Tiwari, a senior administrative officer of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. The climbers were rescued on Sunday, he said.

The climbers were first reported stranded on Thursday when a rockfall severed their rope, sending their bags — along with crucial supplies like food, tent and climbing gear — into a gorge. The climbers also lost most of their communication equipment, but managed to send out an emergency message the same day.

“We were pulling up my bag and she (Dvorak) had her bag on her. And the rockfall came, cut the rope with the other bag, and it just went down the entire mountain,” Manners told local reporters on Sunday.

The rescue operation took 80 hours to complete and involved the Indian air force and the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority.

Rajkumar Negi, a spokesperson for India’s disaster management agency, said that two Indian Air Force helicopters dispatched on Friday to help with the search were unable to locate the climbers. But on Saturday, a French mountaineering team, which was also attempting to climb the Chaukhamba-3 peak, located the stranded climbers and relayed their coordinates to the rescue authorities.

The Indian air force said in a statement on social platform X that it airlifted the climbers on Sunday “from 17,400 feet, showcasing remarkable coordination in extreme conditions."

Chaukhamba-3 is a mountain peak in the Garhwal Himalaya in northern India.

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Varieties

Survivor of Rare Rapid-ageing Disease Progeria Dies at 28

Progeria, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome (HGPS), causes people to age rapidly, leading them to appear older than they are - (Photo by AFP)
Progeria, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome (HGPS), causes people to age rapidly, leading them to appear older than they are - (Photo by AFP)
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Survivor of Rare Rapid-ageing Disease Progeria Dies at 28

Progeria, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome (HGPS), causes people to age rapidly, leading them to appear older than they are - (Photo by AFP)
Progeria, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome (HGPS), causes people to age rapidly, leading them to appear older than they are - (Photo by AFP)

Sammy Basso, who was the longest living survivor of the rare genetic disease progeria, has died at the age of 28, the Italian Progeria Association said on Sunday.

Progeria, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome (HGPS), causes people to age rapidly, leading them to appear older than they are, with a reduced quality of life and a life expectancy of only 13.5 years without treatment, the association's website said.

It affects one in every eight million people born, and has a worldwide incidence of one in every 20 million, Reuters reported.

Born in 1995 in Schio, in the northern Italian region of Veneto, Basso was diagnosed with progeria at the age of two. In 2005, he and his parents founded the Italian Progeria Association.

He became famous through the National Geographic documentary "Sammy's Journey," which recounts his journey along Route 66 in the United States, from Chicago to Los Angeles, with his parents and one of his best friends, Riccardo.

"Today our light, our guide, has gone out. Thank you Sammy for making us part of this wonderful life," the association wrote on its Instagram page.

There are only 130 recognised cases of classic progeria worldwide, of which four are in Italy.

However, the Italian Progeria Association estimated there could be as many as 350 cases as they can be difficult to trace especially in developing countries.