Hiker in Alpine crevasse rescued... by a chihuahua
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A man had been hiking on the glacier with his Chihuahua, when he suddenly plunged into an 8m-deep crevasse, leaving the tiny dog alone on the edge.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY
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GENEVA – When it comes to mountain rescues, St Bernards may have met their match, with a chihuahua being praised for helping save a man who fell into a glacier crevasse in Switzerland.
The “extraordinary” rescue took place on July 4 on the Fee Glacier above Saas-Fee in the southern Swiss Alps, the Air Zermatt rescue service said in a statement over the weekend.
A man had been hiking on the glacier with his Chihuahua early in the afternoon, when he suddenly plunged into an 8m-deep crevasse, leaving the tiny dog alone on the edge.
The man was carrying an amateur walkie-talkie and managed to call for help, but rescue workers struggled to locate the site of the accident.
“On site, the search for the collapse site proved difficult. The glacier surface was wide, and the hole was barely visible,” Air Zermatt, a regional rescue service in Wallis canton, said.
But then one of the rescuers spotted a small movement on a rock: the chihuahua had not budged from the edge of the crevasse.
“Thanks to the dog’s behaviour, the crew was able to locate the exact site of the accident,” Air Zermatt said, adding that “rescuers abseiled down to the casualty and were able to save him”.
“It is fair to say that his behaviour contributed significantly to the successful rescue.” AFP
