'Hero' chihuahua helps rescuers find owner after Swiss glacier fall

This handout made available on July 6, 2025 by Air Zermatt, an air rescue company operating in the canton of Valais, shows a chihuahua dog that helped rescuers in finding its owner who had fallen into a crevasse in Fee glacier above Saas-Fee, Western Switzerland. - Photo by HANDOUT / Air Zermatt / AFP

VIENNA (dpa): A hiker who fell down an 8-metre-deep crevasse in Switzerland was rescued thanks to his pet chihuahua alerting emergency teams to his location.

The local rescue service said the man was walking with his dog on the Fee Glacier above Saas-Fee in the Swiss Alps on Friday when he fell through a snow bridge into the crevasse.

He was able to call for help using his walkie-talkie, the Air Zermatt rescue service said on Sunday.

"A person nearby happened to receive the emergency call, but was unable to localize the exact location of the accident," it said.

Air Zermatt said rescue workers eventually spotted the man's chihuahua moving around near the "barely visible" hole and were able to quickly rescue its owner, describing the pet as a "four-legged hero."

The man and his dog were airlifted to hospital. - dpa