At least three Egyptian hikers have died and two others are in critical condition after being trapped in an ice storm near Mount Sinai on Saturday.
Eight Egyptian hikers, five men and three women, took off without a guide in the mountains around Saint Catherine Monastery in South Sinai and lost their way when the weather turned foul, Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website reported.
Seven of the stranded hikers were found by a military search and rescue helicopter, said army spokesperson Colonel Ahmed Mohamed Ali a day later.
Local Bedouin tribes, advantaged by their familiarity with the mountains, exerted painstaking efforts until they succeeded to find the lost hikers. The Bedouins then transported the hikers on camelback to Farsh Al-Rommana, a wide clearing where the army helicopters could land to fly them to the Saint Catherine hospital.
Four were still alive, while the other three had already frozen to death, said Al-Ahram’s correspondent in South Sinai.
One hiker is still missing.
Monday’s search ended at nightfall, but sources told Ahram Online that it will continue at first light Tuesday morning.