Two Israeli backpackers found themselves in a life-threatening situation with hypothermia and altitude sickness in the mountains of Nepal on Wednesday.
The two women, who were preparing for a trek in the Anapurna Mountain Range region of the Himalayas, signaled their distress with a satellite device in their possession.
Rabbi Chezky Lifshitz of the local Chabad house in Kathmandu received the distress signal and quickly summoned a helicopter to rescue the backpackers.
The two women were successfully evacuated from an altitude of 8,400 meters (28,000 feet) and were reported to be in good condition in a local hospital.
In all likelihood, the women’s health deteriorated after the heating in their guest house malfunctioned. Before the arrival of the rescue helicopter, another group of Israeli backpackers, some with medical expertise, performed first aid and helped prevent their conditions from worsening.
Following the incident, the Chabad house in Kathmandu offered backpackers a message: “If you are embarking on a trek in the mountains, take a satellite device with you from the Chabad house, because it could save your lives.
We will continue to provide backpackers with communication equipment and other lifesaving devices. In the case at hand, without the satellite device it would have been impossible to call for help at a critical hour, because there is no other form of communication in that area.”
