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Climber Rescue in Japan Goes Wrong


Contact Photographer Shimizu Brothers

What: Gifu Prefecture Bell 412 EP Ambulance/Rescue helicopter en route from Gifu Airbase.
Where: Takayama, about 240 kilometers west of Tokyo.
When: Sept 11 2009, 3:30pm (0630 GMT
Who: four people (5 crew on board but at least one was on the mountain in the process of the rescue)
Why: During an emergency rescue of a climber who collapsed with cardiopulmonary arrest while mountain climbing, the helicopter’s tail rotor hit the mountain; and it fell 400 meters into a ravine. 5 crew were originally on board, 2 crew off from the helicopter rappelling down.

The climber and the three aboard the helicopter were pronounced dead at the scene.

Please excuse the bad translation below but it is pretty much indecipherable unless we get names:

Disaster Asakura Hitoshi County (57) (Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture), Miyoshi Hideho mechanic (47) (same), vice captain Gotou Atsushi (34) (Kasamatsu-cho, Hyogo Prefecture ) confirmed dead.

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