Bartek BargielYou are looking at the awe inspiring footage a drone recorded when it found a British climber in the Himalayas after he fell from a cliff.
Rick Allen, 65, had been climbing in the Himalayas with his climbing partner Sandy Allan when the pair separated.
While Sandy decided to turn back from the climb due to high winds, Rick decided to carry on the hike to the summit of Pakistan’s Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world, by himself.
Rick was in the process of returning from the hike when he fell from a cliff of ice, which stood at 26,000 feet.
Watch the heart-wrenching moment he was spotted here:
Rick attempted to make his own way off the mountain after the fall, but after being missing for 36 hours and with no food on him, there were worries for the climber from Aberdeenshire.
Luckily, a cook at the base camp of the mountain spotted the man’s rucksack on the cliff. They raised the alarm.
In an attempt to help find Rick, Polish mountaineer Bartek Bargiel and his brother Andrzej sent out his high-tech drone to scan the mountain and try and locate the 65-year-old.
The drone was flown around Broad Peak and K2, the world’s second largest mountain.
Bartek BargielIncredibly, the drone captured footage of Rick still moving, and rescuers were able to determine his exact location.
Sherpas and other climbers came to the his aid, and brought him back to base camp. Thankfully, Rick had only suffered minor injuries, and had mild frost bite.
He was airlifted to hospital for a check up and for treatment on his frostbitten feet. Rick was no stranger to this condition, after having already lost half a toe to frostbite on a previous expedition.
Bartek, the drone operator, spoke to DroneDJ about the ordeal, explaining he guided Rick with the drone.
He said:
In the morning the cook came to us and said that he saw someone through the telescope, hanging on the glacier serac on Broadpeak. That was a man, he didn’t move and we thought that he’s dead.
After some time, he got up and started to walk, but he didn’t know where to go. So I flew to him with my drone Mavic Pro and I took the shot of this place, where he was.
Then we could trace his height and location [through the drone’s GPS coordinates]. We informed guys from the base under the Broadpeak so they can check [w]ho’s in the camp III.
3 people from the camp III at the Broadpeak moved to rescue Rick. I [flew] to Rick with my drone and he saw me. After all, he told to me, that he was relieved that someone knows about him.
I started to fly slowly to the guys from the camp III, Rick was following me. After some time, Rick and rescue team met. I’m happy that I could help him, I guess we’re in the right place at the right time.
Bartek shared the story on his Facebook page, and captioned it with Rick’s version of events.
It read:
Clearly said I was alive and moving. They sent a message to my friends, from their description of my clothes they knew it was me. It was very encouraging because I knew that they knew or believed that they knew at this point that I was alive and still heading in the right direction.
I went over the ridge and looked down. I saw camp iii and I saw people coming from Camp III to me. Apparently they spotted me at that moment and started screaming my name, and I waved at them and knew I’d get help soon, so I was delighted.
Before his life was saved by one, Rick was apparently not a fan of drones. Understandably, he has since changed his mind, explaining ‘This has changed my perception of them’.
Bartek Bargiel seemingly often takes his drone climbing with him. He posted pictures from the mountain range where Rick had been climbing, writing:
A few days ago we arrived at the base camp for K2. The weather is fine so I can fly my drone very high. Yesterday, I broke my record! I was flying at 25200 feet. Soon I will show you more shots. Stay tuned.
Incredible!
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.