On Tuesday evening, three Belgian hikers found themselves stranded at an altitude of 3,750 meters on Dent d’Hérens mountain on the Italy-Switzerland border after their guide had fallen and injured himself. Despite several rescue efforts, the bad conditions forced them to spend the night on the mountain.
An emergency call was made to the local rescue service at around 18:30, but the hikers were unable to move as their guide had suffered a fall. The rescue team attempted to reach them, but cloudy weather hindered helicopter visibility and ruled out a foot rescue due to the distance involved.
The rescue operation had to be postponed until Wednesday morning, forcing the hikers to endure harsh conditions overnight with temperatures dropping to minus 2 degrees. A helicopter was dispatched on Wednesday morning, but initial attempts to reach the stranded hikers were unsuccessful.
After multiple attempts, the rescuers were finally able to reach the Belgian hikers just before noon on Wednesday. The injured guide was taken to the hospital for treatment while the hikers were reportedly in good condition despite their ordeal.