Two paragliders survived eating sweets for six days after crash-landing on a mountain.
Julio Bermúdez injured his chest and fractured his collarbone and wrist in the accident.
Fellow paraglider Santiago Aparicio stayed with Julio and gave him first aid.
He alerted the authorities to their predicament by radio.
- Advertisement -
Julio couldn’t walk due to his injuries on 13 March.
READ MORE: VIDEO: Mum finds one of world’s deadliest spiders in son’s toy box after he was bitten
The men were stuck in a dangerous spot more than 4,000 metres above sea level on Pico Cristóbal Colón, Colombia’s highest mountain.
A helicopter couldn’t reach them because of the rugged and remote terrain and strong winds.
Search and rescue workers reached the men on Monday (18 Mar).
- Advertisement -
The team took Julio down on a stretcher to a spot where a helicopter could reach them.
They were finally picked up by the Colombian Air Force and the Red Cross on Tuesday (19 Mar).
Santiago, a mountain guide, later recalled: “I saw Julio through the lens of a father figure.
- Advertisement -
“He’s 46, I’m 28, I couldn’t just leave him there.
“Life comes first. I felt confident I could get him out of there. I couldn’t bear to abandon someone in need.”
The pair endured highs of 12C and lows of -5C
Santiago said: “Julio had some snacks, I had some sweets. We sustained ourselves on sweets.
“That’s what defines us mountaineers. We have bodies that can endure a bit more. Mentally, we were strong.
“What hit us hard was the cold. We didn’t have sleeping bags, insulation, just two thermal blankets.”
Santiago was worried Julio might not make it.
He said: “It pained me deeply to think that if I left, I might not come back to find him alive.
“Julio showed immense strength. He endured. Someone who wasn’t a mountaineer wouldn’t survive this adventure.
“In the mornings, I’d ask him how he was doing, and he’d say he couldn’t bear the cold.”
Julio, who works as a doctor in Bogotá, is being treated in a hospital and his condition is stable.
His wife Lorena Medina told local media: “We’re waiting for him at home with his daughter.”
READ MORE: VIDEO: Devastation as baseball-sized HAILSTONES rip holes in cars