A man in Switzerland who was trapped underneath an avalanche for over six hours has now been recovered from under the snow by the emergency services. Swiss police said that the 26-year-old was lucky to be alive.
In a statement given to 20 Minuten, the police in Canton Valais in Switzerland confirmed that they had recovered a 26-year-old alpine hiker from beneath the site of a recent avalanche, likely caused by the snowy weather in the region over the past few weeks. It turned out that the man had been stuck underneath the snow for over six hours before he was rescued.
The weight of the snow meant that he was unable to move any of his limbs for the entire six-hour period. Miraculously, the man was recovered by the authorities and was only airlifted to the hospital as a precaution. He was later confirmed to be unharmed by the incident.
Speaking to 20 Minuten, a spokesperson said that his family had made a missing persons report on February 8 after the man had not returned. Luckily, he had informed them of the exact route he was taking, meaning the authorities were able to identify the route and the avalanche that buried him, and soon dug him out on February 9.
In concluding the statement, police said that the only reason why the man was found so quickly - and alive - was that he followed one of the most important rules: if you are going to hike in the winter alone, always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
Thumb image credit: ArCere / Shutterstock.com