GILGIT – The Pakistan Army aviation has successfully airlifted an injured American paraglider from Rush Lake, located at an elevation of 4,694 metres in the Nagar district of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Reports said 40-year-old American citizen Jessica Courtney Green and 35-year-old Australian national Shane Owen Tyge had taken off from Karimabad, Hunza on Saturday for a paragliding trip. The duo had planned to land near Rush Lake, approximately 50 kilometres from their take-off point.
However, the flight took a dangerous turn when Jessica was forced to make an emergency landing near the lake, resulting in serious injuries. Local police reported that she sustained a leg injury, broken ribs, and an ankle injury. She was found unconscious at the landing site.
Shane, her companion, used a satellite phone to alert a friend, who then coordinated with local volunteers for emergency assistance. Volunteers from Hopper Valley reached the remote location on Sunday and managed to move the injured paraglider to a safer area. They stayed overnight, providing food and basic medical care.
On Monday morning, a Pakistan Army Aviation helicopter was dispatched to the site. Jessica was airlifted first to Gilgit, then to Skardu, and later flown to Islamabad via a chartered flight the same day for further medical treatment.
Rush Lake is considered one of the highest alpine lakes in the world and is located roughly 15 kilometres north of Miar Peak and Spantik. Trekkers usually access the lake through Hopper Valley, crossing the Hopper and Miar glaciers.
