Demand for search and rescue services on Mt. Kilimanjaro on the rise

Arusha. There has been an increased demand for search and rescue services on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro SAR, a helicopter based search and rescue company operating on Mt. Kilimanjaro, will purchase a second helicopter in the wake of the increasing demand.

"We are receiving a new one in a fortnight. The demand for our services is going up", said Ivan Braun, the chief executive officer of the Moshi-based firm.

He said this during the just ended Karibu/Kilifair in Arusha that their determination is to ensure Mt. Kilimanjaro is the safest destination for its climbers.

"The service is offered free of charge to tour guides, porters and cooks while the tourists are paid by their travel insurance,"he told The Citizen.

The company's website indicate Kilimanjaro SAR accepts insurance with evacuation coverage up to 6,000 meters above sea level, well beyond the height of the 5,895 peak of Mt Kilimanjaro.

People rescued while scaling or descending the snow-capped mountain are largely those needing medical emergency.

These include those who fall victims to mountain sickness and other ailments such as the heart attack as well as those involved in accidents leading to fractures.

Kilimanjaro SAR was established and launched in April las2018 with a base in Moshi. It is also involved in search and rescue service on Mt. Meru in Arusha.

Mr. Braun initiated the service after realizing the dangers faced by the mountain climbers on the Kilimanjaro, having himself climbed to the Roof of Africa 22 times.

According to Ms Irene Tillya, the firm's public relations and marketing manager, their only helicopter has landed on various points, the highest being at Kosovo, 4,900 metres above sea level.

She said that this was the only helicopter-based search and rescue company on a mountain in Africa.