Photo: Vigil Fuoco
Injuries on the slopes have plagued Olympians this year, but it turns out the danger is not confined to the competition. This week, two American skiers became lost in the mountains of Livigno, near one of the venues for the Winter Olympics, necessitating a nighttime rescue.
According to Italian news outlet Sondrio Today, the two men were in town for the Olympics, when they decided to go on an off-piste skiing run on the evening of Tuesday, February 10. However, when darkness fell, they became lost. As Italy’s national fire and rescue service Vigili del Fuoco reports, they immediately raised the alarm and provided authorities with their GPS coordinates.
In the ensuing rescue, firefighters piloting remote drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras coordinated with Alpine rescue corps technicians to locate the missing skiers. Once located, they provided light from above to help them reach safety.
