Drones and Mountain Rescue.

On the 9th July, a Himalayan expedition of experienced mountaineers were faced with the sad decision to presume one of their party lost.  Rick Allen had taken a fall earlier in the day and they had lost all trace of him.

However, on July 10th, the expedition cook spotted a large shape high up on the slopes of Broad Peak. Although he believed it was probably a rucksack, the decision was taken to launch a drone for further investigation.

A Mavic Pro made the flight and soon established that this was in fact the missing mountaineer and he was still moving. This information meant that mountain rescue could be immediately dispatched to his aid.

Drones are being increasingly deployed in this kind of field with their ability to cover relatively large areas in a short period of time proving invaluable to rescue teams.  They can use the information to provide targeted assistance where required at minimum risk to everyone involved.