According to the press release of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Rear Admiral Didier Malterre, commander of French Joint force in the Indian Ocean, awarded the France National Defence Bronze Medal to the brave pilots at a special awards ceremony held at the Army Museum on Wednesday.
In January 2018, French mountaineer Elisabeth Revol was rescued from the Nanga Parbat, known as the 'killer mountain', in extreme weather. According to the ISPR, Army Aviation pilots had rescued her on the request of the French Embassy.
However, Elisabeth’s Polish climbing partner Tomasz Mackiewicz was not as lucky as the rescuers had to call off the search due to harsh weather conditions with the temperature at 60 degrees below freezing point.