Incredible moment missing hiker buried deep in snow was able to wave to a rescue helicopter flying past
THIS is the incredible moment a hiker who was buried by an avalanche was able to set his arm free and hail down a rescue helicopter.
The terrifying incident happened near the mountainous region of Lidairdes, Switzerland, and was filmed by the rescue team.
The footage went viral on social media and showed the missing hiker, with only his head and one arm free, waving to the chopper.
The act of desperation was filmed by paramedic Mathieu Lambert, who was inside the helicopter as it shined a light on the mountain.
According to emergency services , Air Glaciers, the group received the rescue alert at 5.41pm on Wednesday, February 8.
Subsequently, they dispatched a helicopter with a paramedic and two rescue guides.
It is believed the young man, who has not been named, was ski touring in Lidairdes when the avalanche hit.
His family alerted rescue services when he didn’t return on time.
The team first checked the car park where the man had started his journey to ensure he had not returned to his car.
They then searched the hiking route he had provided his family with.
Eventually, the team spotted visible tracks and dropped one of the guides to trace them.
Miraculously, only using the searchlight on the helicopter, the team was able to spot the man’s arm waving at them and extract him from a large pile of snow blocks.
He was then hoisted 100ft up to safety.
According to local media, the man recovered from the incident without any life-threatening injuries.