Swiss rescue service completed 150 missions over Easter

The mostly good weather conditions over the Easter days had lured numerous people into nature. The Rega operations center co-ordinated over 150 missions between Good Friday and Easter Monday. With around 60 missions across Switzerland, the sunny Easter Sunday was the most intense day for Rega's helicopter crews.

This number of operations is not uncommon at this time of year, because experience shows that Rega rescues reflect the weather and leisure activities of people in Switzerland.

Rega was prepared for the increased operational activity: additional Rega rescue helicopters were stationed in both Graubünden and the Bernese Oberland over the Easter days. The Rega crews flew around half of all missions for patients who were traveling at higher altitudes. However, they were also used on missions due to acute illnesses or on transfer flights from hospital to hospital.

Service for a climber who had an accident

A mountaineer had an accident on Sunday morning on the Chlyn Wendenstock in the Uri Alps; he was seriously injured after falling over 200 meters in a snowfield. His companion then used the Rega app to alert the rescue company. Once at the scene of the accident, the pilot was able to drop the emergency doctor, the paramedic and the mountain rescuer while hovering. After initial treatment by the Rega crew, the injured patient was immediately prepared for transport and flown to the nearest suitable hospital.

Fast transport for an injured paraglider pilot in Gossau

In Gossau, a paraglider pilot had an accident during training on Easter Sunday. During exercises in the hilly area, he was hit by a gust of wind and then fell to the ground from a height of over five meters. After the first aid from ground-based emergency services, they alerted Rega to be transported to a central hospital. The crew from the Rega base in Dübendorf arrived at the scene of the accident only a short time later and was able to fly the injured patient quickly and gently to the nearest suitable central hospital after the rescue service had handed them over.

Rega organized a total of 16,273 missions last year, and while the rescue helicopters were in the air more often than in the previous year, the ambulance jets recorded significantly fewer missions.