Climber's Himalayan Rescue Plays out Live on Facebook (Warning: Graphic)

5/22/14 – On May 19, John All, climber and associate professor of geography at Western Kentucky University, fell 70 feet down a crevasse on Mount Himlung in Nepal. All had been on an expedition to collect ice and snow samples to study the effects of pollution on glacier melting. He broke five ribs, an arm, dislocated a shoulder, and suffered some internal bleeding during the fall. Luckily, a three-foot-wide ledge stopped his fall, from which he was able to climb out of the crevasse over the course of six hours with the help of his ice axe. It took him another three hours to crawl back to camp, where he texted for help with a satellite messenger. Bad weather prevented a rescue helicopter from arriving until the following morning, so All spent a long, cold night waiting. In the end, All was evacuated from Himlung and brought to Norvic International Hospital in Kathmandu, where he made a quick recovery, checking himself out of the ICU the very next day.

What makes this story extra remarkable, beyond All’s miraculous survival and recovery, is that the events were broadcast in real-time via Facebook. All’s friends, family, and the rest of the world were able to follow regular updates of his emergency on the mountain, but were unable to help. The video above contains footage shot in real time during the event.