Mission in Tyrol

Night-time drama on the mountain: helicopter came from Liechtenstein

The patient was carefully loaded into the helicopter.

(Bild: Bergrettung Sautens, Imst, Krone KREATIV)

Mountain rescuers fought for the life of an alpinist in the Tyrolean Ötztal. Curious: the rescue helicopter flew in from Liechtenstein during the night, because Tyrolean helicopters are generally only on duty until 10.30 p.m. at the latest.

Four Tyrolean alpinists had to endure some anxious hours last Sunday night. The Tyroleans were on the Forchheimer Weg from Roppen to the Erlanger Hütte, one 46-year-old was suffering from symptoms similar to those of altitude sickness. Her condition worsened and the group sought shelter in a bivouac box (2443 m). From there, the Tyroleans raised the alarm at around 10.15 pm.

The woman was carefully loaded into the helicopter.

(Bild: Bergrettung Sautens, Imst, Krone KREATIV)

The woman continued to deteriorate
"I spoke to one of the woman's companions on the phone, the woman had been suffering from the symptoms for an hour and a half, she was getting steadily worse," explains Thomas Vitroler, head of operations at Sautens-Haiming-Roppen Mountain Rescue. Vitroler immediately tried to alert an emergency helicopter via the Tyrol control center. Vitroler: "But they said that there was no helicopter available."

The helicopter landed on a meadow directly below the Forchheim bivouac.

(Bild: Bergrettung Sautens-Haiming-Roppen)

Mountain rescuers from Sautens and Imst as well as a mountain rescue doctor climbed up to the patient in the rain and darkness. "I tried to get a helicopter again at around 10.45 p.m., but I got the same negative response."

Mountain rescue doctor stabilized the patient
In the meantime, around 20 mountain rescuers arrived at the victim and the doctor managed to stabilize the patient. A terrestrial evacuation would have been too risky, so it was necessary to wait with the woman until dawn until a helicopter was ready.

I tried again at around 10.45 p.m. to get a helicopter, but I received the same negative response.

Thomas Vitroler, Einsatzleiter Bergrettung Sautens-Haiming-Roppen

But the time of suffering was shortened after all. "We received information from the control center well after midnight that an emergency helicopter from Balzers in Liechtenstein was approaching," Vitroler explains. And indeed, at around 2.45 a.m., "Christoph Liechtenstein" landed on a small meadow just next to the bivouac box. The emergency services loaded the woman into the helicopter, which flew her to the nearby Zams hospital.

Mountain rescuers from Sautens and Imst climbed up to the patient during the night.

(Bild: Bergrettung Sautens-Haiming-Roppen)

"Christoph Liechtenstein", which is operated by the Swiss Alpine Air Ambulance, is on standby around the clock - unlike the Tyrolean emergency helicopters. Theoretically, the Tyrolean helicopters could also fly night missions - however, they do not operate at night. The Reutte station of the RK-2 is manned for the longest time in the evening - until 10.30 pm. However, the RK-2 was unable to take over the mission due to the weather at the time the alarm was raised.

46-year-old already back home
Fortunately, the patient has already left the hospital. However, if she does not have mountain cost insurance, it will be extremely expensive. The Swiss guard their tariffs like banking secrecy; in Switzerland, a minute's flight costs around 120 euros. A bill of 20,000 euros would be conceivable. Then there are the mountain rescue costs. All in all, it could even exceed the limited insurance benefit of 25,000 euros.