“If they survived, it’s all thanks to Jakob.” After a devastating accident, in an unknown area, in the middle of nowhere, there are those who have remained calm, managing to make a difference: it is thanks, in fact, to the alarm raised promptly by the thirty-four-year-old CEO of Sportler, Jakob Oberrauch , one of the injured in the accident involving a heli-skiing helicopter in Canada, that most of the people on board, four out of seven (including Emilio Zierock, owner of the Foradori winery in Mezzolombardo), managed to save themselves. This is what emerges from the first stories of the survivors, part of the South Tyrolean group that was on holiday in British Columbia, the westernmost state of Canada. There were two helicopters in the skies above the Skeena Mountains, a wide range that stands at around two thousand metres, chosen by the group for the winter outing. Even in those who “accompanyed” the crashed aircraft there were South Tyroleans: among them Marvin Demetz, hotelier from Ortisei and Alessandro Isotti from Bolzano. And it is they who, in these hours, are telling their relatives and friends what happened and what is known. The reconstructions of the accident are still unclear: at most the injured reported a few words. An objective fact, also admitted by the company that organized the excursion, Northern Escape, were the weather conditions: low clouds and sleet, with a notable reduction in visibility. A situation that was not judged to put the business at risk. The helicopter pilot, who died on impact, could therefore have found himself stunned by the “whiteout”, the term used in English to describe a situation, especially a blizzard, in which it is “all white” and one cannot get through. orient. In such a scenario, Oberrauch, who has long experience in the mountains, in addition to having launched the signal, would also have activated an Arva probe, one of those used to find people under avalanches, in order to communicate the point exactly where they were.
The crash on the side
According to the group’s first testimonies, the helicopter would have passed the designated landing point without seeing it. During the next maneuver, he would crash into the snowy side of a mountain. The people inside would have been ejected out upon impact. No official reconstruction was received from the Canadian institutions (the Royal Mounted Police, i.e. those who were known as the “redcoats”) intervened. But in the meantime, the authorities have also ordered checks by the transport department. The place where the accident occurred, fifty kilometers northwest of Terrace, a small town in the heart of British Columbia, is difficult to access. The snow is deep, and you can only go there by helicopter. On Tuesday, inspectors went to the site accompanied by a medical examiner. The bodies of the dead people: in addition to the pilot, Heinzl Oberrauch and Andreas Widmann (who leaves his wife Laura, who is expecting a child) are still lying on the mountain waiting to be recovered.
«Protocols respected»
The only one to have made statements about what happened is the owner of Northern Escape, John Forrest, who said he was “devastated” by the incident.
«All communications with the vehicles took place following our protocols – he stated – At a certain point we received a communication via radio from one of our customers (Jakob Oberrauch, precisely, ed.) who warned us of the accident . At this point we activated our rescue procedures, ceasing all ski-related activities and engaging in search and rescue. We immediately ensured maximum collaboration with the authorities involved.”
The rest of the group
Testimonies also came from the rest of the group, who were on the other helicopter. Marvin Demetz and Alessandro Isotti who chose to remain in Canada to help their injured friends: in addition to Emilio Zierock and Jakob Oberrauch (who suffered leg injuries and now also has a lung complication) Johannes Peer, financial manager also of Sportler. “We heard a roar, a sort of loud thud from afar, while we were waiting for the helicopter to arrive which instead crashed.” That may have been the moment the accident occurred
