The Burnaby Firefighters Search and Rescue team assisted in the rescue of four hikers in Nepal last week, including a 24-year-old from Calgary.
According to a statement from the Search and Rescue team, they helped coordinate the helicopter rescue of Tamara McLeod, a yoga instructor from Calgary, Julian Tempone of Australia, and two hikers from the Netherlands, all of whom were stranded in Langtang National Park following the deadly earthquake that hit the South Asian nation last week.
The firefighters, who are camped out at the Kathmandu Airport, liaised with Canadian officials, the Emergency Watch and Response Centre and a local army unit to secure the hikers’ safety.
READ MORE: How Canadians can help the victims of the Nepal earthquake
After a Nepalese army unit found the hikers, the firefighters contacted Mcleod’s family to tell them she was safe.
The hikers were evacuated to the town of Dhunche. They had to walk for 12 hours as the road was out in some areas before catching a bus to the capital of Kathmandu.
More than a dozen Burnaby and Mission firefighters and three search dogs travelled to Nepal last week as part of a Canadian medical assistance team. The team also includes a paramedic and two doctors.
The group is one of several Canadian contingents assisting in Nepal.
-with files from Melissa Ramsay, Yuliya Talmazan and Justin McElroy
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