Paraglider ‘humbled’ by Facebook appeal rescue
A close friend of rescued paraglider Nabik Daniel Hunt tells Channel 4 News the 33-year-old is “overwhelmed and humbled” by a social media fundraising campaign to rescue him from the Swiss Alps.
Mr Hunt was speed flying – an extreme sport involving a combination of paragliding and skiing – in Switzerland on Saturday 15 September, but when he failed to land at an arranged meeting point the alarm was raised.
He was eventually found on Tuesday after spending three days stuck in the bottom of a gorge in the Swiss Alps. He had survived on little more than a chocolate bar and glacial water. It has been reported that he suffered a broken ankle.
His friends started a Facebook campaign called Find Nabik Dan Hunt on Sunday to fund additional rescue teams when his insurance cover, which paid for initial searches, ran out. The social media drive raised around £14,000.
Close friend Lisa Carnie told Channel 4 News she was “worried but never gave up hope” and was “completely relieved” when he was airlifted to safety.
She spoke to Nabik on Tuesday and said he was “overwhelmed by the support and humbled by the response” and that his parents were “very grateful”.
The 33-year-old, from Turnham Green in west London, is currently in a Swiss hospital recovering. It is hoped he will be able to return home in the next few days.