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28 March 2024

Dubai firm rescues man from 'Rooftop of the World' with temperatures reaching -25°C

Published
By Waheed Abbas

A Dubai-based company has rescued an injured man from a community based on mountainous terrain scaling 13,340ft (4,065 metres) – also called the “Rooftop of the World” – on China-Afghanistan border with temperature reaching -25°C during the day.

The man – who was injured after falling from a horse and was in severe pain – was transported by his community members on donkeys to one of the world’s highest airstrips before the Dubai medical company airlifted him for the treatment to a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan.

A member of the Kyrgiz community had to hike through the peaks for two days to place a call for the help. Due to the remote location, the closest medical clinic to the Kyrgiz community is a 12-day trek, most of which is spent on horseback. The peaks are inaccessible during  winter.

Dubai-based medical company RMSI said its team arrived at the airstrip by aircraft in two hours after  the call was placed for the help. RMSI provides medical care and conducts emergency rescue operations in some of the most hostile and inhospitable areas of the world, including war-torn areas in the Middle East and Africa. 

Rob Lamb, CEO of RMSI, said: “While the teams are experienced in remote medevac recues, we had to operate with high caution… when weather patterns, winds and clouds are unpredictable; if anything were to go wrong at any stage during the flight, there would be no assistance possible, due to the remote location. The pilots and medical crew had to come to grips with altitudes over 13,340ft and outside temperatures during the day dropping as low as -25°C.”

He said: “Through the journey, the team initially experienced cloud cover and mountains obscured with snow showers. There was a strong pressure gradient, and the weather was changing to fairly strong winds at the required flight altitudes; however, the team managed to find a hole in the clouds to descend through, and was happy to see that, contrary to expectations, the Chaqmatin lake valley had not received too much snow. They were able to land on the airstrip, perform an initial medical evaluation, and prepare the patient for the flight.”

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