The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday rescued an Israeli national from a high-altitude area in Ladakh after he suffered from acute mountain sickness and had difficulty in breathing.
The Army said on Saturday that 114 Helicopter Unit received a call for Casevac (Casualty Evacuation) from Nimaling Camp near Markha valley. Noam Gil, an Israeli national, was suffering from severe mountain sickness and unable to breathe properly in the high-altitude area.
“His oxygen level had dropped to 68 per cent. In view of the severity of his condition, he had to be rescued from this valley, which is known for intense turbulent conditions. Led by Wg Cdr Ashish Kapoor, Flt Cdr 114 Helicopter Unit, with Flt Lt Kushagra Singh and Wg Cdr S Badiyaree and Sqn Ldr S Nagpal as number 2, got airborne within 20 minutes for this time-critical mission,” the Army said.
It added that braving strong winds and turbulent conditions, the formation reached the spot in about 45 minutes. “After a continuous search of 30 minutes, the casualty was spotted at river gorge at the bottom of the valley. The valley, being very narrow, there was difficulty in manoeuvring the aircraft. The formation leader led in for an approach on an unprepared surface on the valley bottom.”
It further said that with the assistance of number 2 holding overhead and proficiency of number 1, the landing was carried out in one of the most restricted spaces in this particular valley. “The casualty was emplaned at low hover and the formation got airborne immediately. Being on less fuel, the formation routed back via standby route, braving all the difficulties, the formation finally landed at Leh,” it added.