At 7:00 a.m. on September 23 (local time), the Air Zermatt rescue team in Zermatt, Switzerland, received an emergency call that two Vietnamese climbers were in trouble on the Matterhorn peak.

At that time, the weather was so bad that rescue by air or road was not possible.

According to the Air Zermatt website, at 1 p.m. the same day, three rescue experts from the Zermatt rescue station decided to climb the Matterhorn by road to reach the accident site.

The rescuers used the Zermatt Bergbahnen cable car system to the Schwarzsee, from where they continued their journey on foot.

The rescue team endured snow, wind, ice, fog and cold. At an altitude of more than 3,500 meters, rescue experts found two climbers in critical condition.

The climbers were stranded in difficult terrain below the normal route. Lacking proper gear, the Vietnamese climbers also suffered from severe hypothermia.

Due to adverse weather conditions, the two climbers could not be pulled out. Rescue experts had to rappel down to where the two climbers were trapped and bring them back to the normal route using a rope system.

The rescuers and the two climbers then struggled to reach the shelter at Hörnli Hut. Snow and ice made the rescue operation a huge challenge for the rescuers.

Meanwhile, Air Zermatt had prepared a helicopter, ready to evacuate the two climbers if the weather was favorable. At 2 a.m. on September 24, two helicopter flights arrived at the Matterhorn, bringing the two climbers and rescuers to safety, ending the 14-hour rescue.

After being examined by an Air Zermatt doctor, the two climbers returned home.