Rega with more than 220 missions during the New Year’s long weekend

Rega had to deploy more than 220 times last New Year’s weekend. This corresponds to an increase of 25 percent compared to New Year’s Eve 22/23. Nearly half of all operations over the past four days were for winter sports accidents.

The increased number of operations was particularly evident in the ski areas, especially in the Bernese Oberland and the canton of Graubünden, the Swiss Air Rescue Service (Rega) announced on Tuesday. An additional rescue helicopter was deployed in both regions. Each helicopter flew approximately 30 missions.

The deployment figures of Rega crews are said to reflect weather conditions, leisure behavior and travel activities of the Swiss population and foreign tourists, the report said. Due to the nice weather, last Saturday was by far the most intensive working day in the period from December 30 to January 2. Rega coordinated more than 90 rescue missions that day.

In addition to the mountain areas, Rega was also used for patients with acute illnesses, in traffic or industrial accidents and for transfers between hospitals, the air rescue service wrote in the press release. Rega’s three ambulance jets were also deployed in Spain, Turkey, Portugal, France and Egypt. (sda)