Swedish Teams Search Into The Night After Light Plane Crash

A desperate, but determined scramble in the mountains of Sweden paid off in the best possible way Sunday night: all three plane crash victims were found alive.

It began with the crash of a light plane just after 1700 local time on a mountain slope about 28 miles northwest of Alvdalen. The aircraft (type unknown) had impacted the rock face of the mountain in poor visibility -- conditions that made the search even more difficult. Add to the equation failing light and you have the recipe for a disaster. But that wasn't to be.

A helicopter rescue team was dispatched from Sundsvall. But the visibility was so poor that, while they could hear the helicopter nearby, the victims -- communicating with rescue coordinators by cell phone -- were unable to see it.

A team of 17 volunteer rescuers was assembled, including firefighters, police officers and local hunters. They hiked up the mountain, eventually finding the three crash victims in and near the wreckage. One, the pilot, was reportedly pinned in his seat, having suffered the worst injuries of any of them. All three were rushed to a local hospital, where they're now being treated.

FMI: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Civil_Aviation_Administration