Operation conducted in synergy between the Sicilian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Service and the 82nd SAR Centre of the 15th Wing of the Italian Air Force
The complex [operation/task] concluded in the early hours of this morning joint intervention between’Italian Air Force and the Sicilian Alpine and Speleological Rescue to rescue a German hiker who became stranded on a cliff face of Monte Cofano, in the province of Trapani.
The 29-year-old woman reached the summit yesterday afternoon. Monte Cofano and on the descent she ventured along small terraces that led her into the middle of the sheer rock face where she then slipped, stopping on a small slope.
In the late evening, the volunteer association Sos Valderice, engaged in fire surveillance, managed to spot the light signals the woman was making with her mobile phone, thus raising the alarm to Single Emergency Number 112.
The 118 emergency services centre requested the intervention of the Alpine Rescue service, which, in order to guarantee the speed of the recovery in a difficult and dark area, subsequently requested the assistance of the Air Force, with whom there is a consolidated working relationship and which was already present in the area with a helicopter. HH-139A of the’82° SAR Centre for a training mission.
The military crew, after receiving the mission order from Rescue Coordination Centre from the Aerospace Operations Command (COA) of Poggio Renatico (FE), undertook some reconnaissance of the area to attempt to Recovery However, the rescue was made very difficult by the strong downdraft wind, which did not allow for the direct and safe recovery of the tourist using the winch. Therefore, during the night, a further sortie was necessary to transport three SASS (Alpine Special Rescue) operators to the intervention area. They were lowered by winch to a point slightly downstream of the woman's position. The SASS personnel then reached the tourist, who was confused, dehydrated, and had several abrasions. Once the young woman was secured, the SASS technicians took her to a safe area before handing her over to the care of paramedics who had arrived in the area with an ambulance.
the successful air rescue operation overnight is the result of continue training activities that the Italian Air Force crews and the CNSAS (National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps) regularly carry out to refine and consolidate air rescue techniques and procedures in mountain environments. The recent joint and inter-agency exercise SATER 3-23, organised by the Italian Air Force itself in the Autonomous Region of Trentino-Alto Adige at the Dobbiaco Airport Detachment (BZ), is a concrete example of this.
I15th Wing The Italian Air Force guarantees, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in distress, also contributing to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of death, and the rescue of seriously traumatised individuals, operating even in extreme weather conditions.
From its establishment to the present day, crews of the 15th Wing have saved over 7,800 lives. Since 2018, the Department has acquired AIB (Wildfire Fighting) capability, contributing to the prevention and fighting of fires throughout the national territory as part of the joint task force deployed by the Defence.
