Indian Air Force rescues stranded British, American climbers

British climber Fay Manners and her American climbing partner, Michelle Dvorak, who went missing in the Himalayas, have now been rescued, according to a BBC news report

The pair were stranded on Chaukhamba mountain in northern India without vital supplies when the rope lifting their food, tent and climbing equipment snapped.

Despite sending an emergency message at more than 20,000ft (6,096m), the search and rescue teams were initially unable to find them.

"They did try to rescue us but the conditions were brutal for the company to operate in. Bad weather, fog, high altitude and they couldn’t find us as the face was so vast," Manners told the BBC.

The next morning an Indian Air Force helicopter came to find the pair, but failed to locate them - meaning they faced another 24 hours on the mountain.

Manners told the BBC the pair were "terrified" as they tried to make part of the descent alone, before being met by rescuers.

At that point they spotted a team of French climbers coming towards them - rescuers who had heard about their situation from mutual friends.

They shared their equipment, food and sleeping bags with the women and contacted the helicopter with an exact location for rescue.

Manners said she felt "exhausted, mentally destroyed and over tired to the point I can’t sleep".

Now the pair said they planned to eat local Indian food before they could get a flight home to their loved ones.