The Indian Army, in a unprecedented rescue effort saved Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad two days ago from below 35 feet of snow. Miraculously and very fortunately the brave soldier from Karnataka, had a faint yet an active breathe pattern when he was rescued, after being buried in -45°Celsius temperature for five days. His indomitable spirit in the face of confirmed death, made him the lone survivor of the avalanche that hit an Indian Army post in Siachen five days earlier.
Unshakable Courage!
Experts claim that 92% completely buried avalanche victims, can only be revived only if rescued within the first 15 minutes. And only 27% of them are alive after 35 minutes. Also, brain damage starts before death within 10 minutes for an average victim.
Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad given the facts, was rescued after five days of the avalanche. A continuous fight to constantly overcome altitude pulmonary oedema, cerebral oedema, hypothermia, hypoxia and frost-bite, of which he emerged victorious.
Hanumanthappa was trained at the toughest conditions known to man, Siachen. Acclimatization to local weather conditions made him a man beyond mortal. It is said to be possible that the pit where he was stuck had some air pocket which provided bare minimum oxygen supply. When a human body is inactive, heart rate is low and nutritional needs are limited too. Army veterans, doctors however feel its nothing short of a miracle that Hanumanthappa has survived
A Rescue Mission Beyond Odds
The Indian Army deployed deep penetration radars, tuned to detect metallic objects and heat signatures at a depth of 20 metres, and radio signal detectors.Radars hauled to the spot by IAF’s choppers at the knocked down site, detect teams assisted by rescue dogs, — the dogs, (Dot and Misha), did a tremendous job, Army said.
Once the fateful discovery was made, Special battery operated snow cutters had to be flown in using the helicopters through the cloudy covers.
And The Fight Goes On
Presently, He has been placed on a ventilator to protect his airway and lungs in view of his comatose state. He remains extremely critical and is expected to have a stormy course in the next 24 to 48 hours due to the complications caused by re-warming and establishment of blood flow to the cold parts of the body,” the Army bulletin said.
“He has pneumonia and his investigations have revealed liver and kidney dysfunction. Fortunately there was no cold exposure related frostbite or bony injuries to him,” it said.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lance Naik Hanumanthappa at the Army’s Research & Referral Hospital .
“No words are enough to describe endurance and indomitable spirit of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. He’s an outstanding soldier,” Modi told ANI.
We at Wirally wish him speedy recovery and extend our solidarity to the Indian BraveHeart’s family in praying for his life.
