Source: Wikicommons
A drone has come to the rescue of a hiker who became stuck on the 12th highest mountain in the world after taking a fall, flying at heights that may be a new record for drone flight.
Rick Allen, a 65-year-old Scottish mountaineer, was rescued by a drone after falling on a solo climb of Broad Peak in the Himalayas.
Mr Allen was returning from the climb which took him to the summit of 8,047m (26,401ft) Broad Peak when he fell.
His climbing bag was spotted by a base camp worker, which motivated the dispatch of the small aircraft to locate it.
Two brothers, Andrzej and Bartek Bargiel, flew the machine up to a height of over 8400 metres.
Previously, Drone Below has only been aware of a drone that was flown at the height of 6,000 metres at K2 by drone photographer Petr Jan Juracka.
A drone flying above K2 | Petr Jan Juracka
When the drone spotted Allen, the Sherpas and climbers were able to climb to save him.
Other than cuts and minor frostbite, the mountaineer did not have a major injury.
According to details provided by the BBC, the 65-year-old man had disappeared for 36 hours at 8,047 meters.
Drones continue to demonstrate their effectiveness. Last February, two Australian swimmers escaped drowning thanks to a surf lifesaving drone piloted by a rescuer, and leading drone manufacturer DJI has also highlighted several lives saved by drones last month.
To read more about Petr Jan Juracka’s drone flight on K2, in our interview with him earlier this year.