The recovery operation of the injured woman was carried out with a helicopter from the 85th SAR Center of Pratica di Mare
The recovery of a hiker who was stuck on Monte Miletto, one of the highest peaks in the mountains, was concluded in the early hours of this morning with an HH-139B helicopter from the 85th SAR (Search and Rescue) Center in Pratica di Mare. del Matese, in the Campobasso area.
The request for intervention from the Air Force came from the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps (CNSAS) Molise shortly after midnight yesterday. In fact, the girl, who was injured in a particularly impervious area of the Matese massif, was first reached by a CNSAS team but, due to the nature of the terrain and the critical condition of the woman, it was necessary to recover through the use of a winch.
The intervention by the 85th SAR Centre, whose helicopter took off shortly after two in the morning from Pratica di Mare and arrived at the recovery site after about fifty minutes, immediately proved to be complex due to the strong gusts of wind, making the recovery operations particularly long and complex, with the need to move away to refuel at Capodichino airport and thus be able to continue the flight mission.
With the contribution of the mountain rescue staff, once the multi-traumatized woman had been moved to a position on the mountain more suitable for recovery by helicopter, it was finally possible to secure the patient, using a special air-transportable stretcher, together with one of the technicians of the CNSAS, to the winch lowered by the crew in flight. Once on board, around 7:00 in the morning, the helicopter headed to the Molise Civil Protection Air Base, in Campochiaro (CB), where an ambulance and 118 medical staff transported the patient to hospital. At this point the HH-139B, after a second refueling at Capodichino, was able to return to Pratica di Mare and resume operational readiness to support the community.
The 85th SAR Center depends on the 15th Wing of Cervia which guarantees, 24 hours a day, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as of those missing at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of life and the rescue of seriously traumatized patients, also operating in complex meteorological conditions.
From its establishment to today, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved thousands of people in danger of life. Since 2018, the Department has also acquired the AIB (Forest Fire Fighting) capability, contributing to the prevention and fight against fires throughout the national territory as part of the inter-force device put in place by the Defence.