Military rescuers parachuted into a remote canyon in northern British Columbia early Wednesday morning to rescue a hunter who was crushed and seriously injured by his horse.
The man had been on a backcountry hunting trip with a group when the accident occurred in a rugged area about 185 kilometres east of Fort Nelson. The Royal Canadian Air Force launched the mission late Tuesday, deploying both a Cormorant helicopter and a CC-295 Kingfisher airplane from 19 Wing Comox.
It was the first operational nighttime parachute jump using the new Kingfisher aircraft, replacing the decades-old Buffalo planes. Due to wildfire risks in the region, the mission was conducted without flares.
Two search-and-rescue technicians jumped into a nearby meadow just after 1 a.m., then hiked roughly a kilometre to reach the injured man. They provided medical care until the Cormorant helicopter arrived to extract him.
After a helicopter transfer in Fort Nelson, the patient was flown to Prince George for further emergency treatment.
The Kingfisher program was plagued by delays before entering service earlier this year, including issues with its operating manuals, pandemic-related setbacks, and legal disputes over its name.
The man’s current condition has not been released.
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