Tomaz Humar Rescued

Following on from Monday's story about trapped mountaineer Tomaz Humar, the good news is that he's been dramatically rescued after spending six days trapped high on Nanga Parbat in appalling conditions.

Humar was winched from his bivvy ledge at around 5,900 metres by a Pakistani army helicopter early on Tuesday morning and is now back at base camp. His web site, which has been carrying regular updates on his predicament along with harrowing reports of his radio messages down to base camp, is reporting that: 'He is a bit frozen up but other than that he seems to be out of danger.'

The report goes ont o say that:

'The rescue mission was outstanding. Tomaz was rescued with a rope on which he hung all the way to touch down at base camp. As Maja told us, doctor Anda examined him immediately after landing. Tomaz's hands and legs have reddened, however, there seems to be nothing critical. He is able to walk and has decided to remain at base camp for a while. He feels he does not need to be admitted to the hospital in Islamabad.'

The site also has pictures of a drained looking Humar arriving back at base camp. There's a detailed account of the rescue here on the Humar web site. Thankfully, despite spending six days in extremely cold conditions, he appears to have escaped any permanent injuries. The photos on the page are dramatic and bring home just how serious the situation was.

It's a bizarre world where thanks to the internet we can eavesdrop almost in real time on someone fight for survival on a far distant mountain. All I can say is thank god he survived.

More details www.humar.com