New Delhi: The Indian Air Force Friday began a rescue operation to evacuate an Italian mountaineer, Federico Nicoli, who is stranded on Mountain Nun in Ladakh.
“We received a requisition from the government of the union territory of Ladakh for a rescue operation of an Italian national. Operation is being undertaken,” Wing Commander Ashish Moghe told ThePrint. The operation was in progress when ThePrint spoke with the force.
The IAF deployed its ‘Cheetah’ helicopter for the rescue operation.
When enquired about the mountaineer’s health, Moghe said, “There is no clear indication as to what issues he has.” The wing commander also said it was not yet certain if there are other people stuck on the mountain top. The IAF, according to Wing Commander Moghe, has received requisition for one person only.
“The IAF is sparing no effort to rescue the mountaineer,” Moghe added.
Nicoli was reportedly leading an Indo-Italian expedition to Mount Nun. It is the second highest peak in the Zanskar Valley of Ladakh with an elevation of 7,077 meters. It is a part of the Nun Kun mountain massif, a geographical feature at the border of Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh.
This is not the first IAF rescue operation in Ladakh involving foreign nationals. In 2020, the IAF had carried out another operation to rescue foreign nationals from the frozen Zanskar river in Ladakh. As many as 50 trekkers, including nine foreign nationals, were rescued successfully during the operation.
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