New Delhi: Billionaire Gautam Adani arranged for an air ambulance to help transfer mountaineer Anurag Maloo, who was rescued after falling into a deep crevasse in Nepal’s Mount Annapurna last month, from Kathmandu to the AIIMS in New Delhi.
Mountaineer’s brother Aashish Maloo Tuesday took to Twitter to express gratitude for the timely action by Adani to airlift the injured.
“Grateful beyond words for the timely airlifting! Heartfelt thanks to @gautam_adani and @AdaniFoundation for their invaluable support in repatriating @AnuragMaloo safely,” he tweeted.
A resident of Kishangarh in Rajasthan, Maloo went missing April 17 after falling from an altitude of 5,800 meters while descending from Camp III on Mount Annapurna – the 10th highest mountain in the world, which is known for its treacherous terrain.
He survived in the avalanche-prone crevasse for three days before being rescued on the morning of April 20. He was in critical condition and was first taken to a nearby medical camp, then to Manipal Hospital in Pokhara, and later to Kathmandu’s Medicity Hospital.
His family requested the Adani Foundation’s assistance to arrange and bear the cost of the airlift and ground transfer from Nepal to India as the cost seemed to be beyond their means.
Adani group founder and chairman Gautam Adani promptly acted and his philanthropy arm, Adani Foundation arranged an air ambulance and transfer.
Anurag was rescued and airlifted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi for medical treatment and is currently undergoing treatment.
Replying to Aashish’s tweet, Adani said it was a privilege for him and his wife, who heads Adani Foundation, to help the injured mountaineer.
“Priti and I are privileged to be of help. We are happy to learn that Anurag is safe and are praying for his speedy recovery. We are confident that he will soon be ready to conquer more of life’s peaks,” he tweeted.
After being airlifted from Kathmandu, Maloo was taken to AIIMS’s Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, where he was admitted to the ICU. His condition is said to be stable.
PTI