Air rescue service flies record number of missions
Rega in action: The organisation's director says melting permafrost makes rockfalls more frequent
Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
Swiss Air-Rescue (Rega) flew a record number of rescue missions in July. This is not a statistical outlier but the reflection of a trend, according to Rega head Ernst Kohler.
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Récord de misiones del servicio de rescate aéreo suizo
The organisation flew a total of 2,120 helicopter missions in July, Kohler said on Sunday, pointing out that it was the first time Rega had recorded more than 2,000 flights in one month.
“Ten years ago a so-called 1,000-flight month was remarkable for us,” he said.
Rega already experienced a record year in 2021, which will probably be surpassed this year. Over the past six months its helicopters have flown 25% more missions than during the same period in 2021, he explained.
Increased interest in hiking and mountaineering as a result of the Covid pandemic are a factor in the increase, Kohler says, but he also points to the melting permafrost, which makes rockfalls more frequent.
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