A British climber, Fay Jane Manners, and her American companion, Michelle Theresa Dvorak, were rescued after being stranded for three days on Chaukhamba-3 in Uttarakhand, India. The climbers encountered trouble when a rockfall severed their rope, sending their supplies, including food and climbing gear, into a gorge. Despite losing most of their communication equipment, they managed to send an emergency message.
The rescue operation, which lasted 80 hours, involved the Indian Air Force and the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority. Initial attempts by helicopters to locate the climbers were unsuccessful. However, a French mountaineering team, also climbing Chaukhamba-3, spotted the stranded climbers and provided their coordinates to rescue teams. On Sunday, the Indian Air Force successfully airlifted the climbers from an altitude of 17,400 feet, demonstrating impressive coordination under challenging conditions.