© Getty Images

Annapurna, The Himalayas - In April 2010, the highest-ever rescue happened on Annapurna (the world's tenth-highest peak), after three Spanish climbers were stranded at 2,2800 ft (6,950 m).

© NL Beeld

Annapurna, The Himalayas - The climbers were airlifted to safety after pilot Captain Daniel Aufdenblatten dropped a long line from the helicopter, and guide Richard Lehner hung to it and helped the climbers below. The pair later won the Heroism Award.

© Reuters

Himalayan Mountains, Asia -

On November 12, 2023 a tunnel in the Himalayan Mountains collapsed, trapping 41 low-wage workers inside. The men remained trapped behind an estimated 200 feet (60 meters) of rock, earth, and metal for more than two weeks as rescue teams scrambled to break through the mountain of debris. The rescue mission faced several setbacks as the heavy-duty drilling machine they were using was damaged, extending the timeline for the rescue. In the meantime, food, water, and medical supplies were passed to the trapped men through a long pipe. 

Following the breakdown of the machinery, it was announced that manual tools would have to be used to break through the final 10-15 feet. Growing desperate, the government agencies managing the mission called in expert "rat miners" for the final push. Rat miners get their name for the controversial and dangerous style of burrowing they employ to get through small spaces with hand tools, usually to reach coal deposits. They worked through the night on Monday, November 27, and on Tuesday, it was announced that they had finally broken through. Their work allowed for a narrow pipe, just three feet wide, to be passed through to the workers. The 41 men were passed through the pipe on wheeled stretchers one by one. Their families were waiting anxiously outside, along with 41 ambulances ready to take each survivor directly to the nearest hospital. All of the trapped workers were rescued in good health. 

Rescue workers outside the collapsed tunnel were already rejoicing over the victory that finally came after an arduous 17-day mission. The exact cause of the disaster has yet to be determined, but landslides and earthquakes are common in the area. 

© Reuters

Atacama, Chile -

The 2010 ordeal of 33 Chilean miners who were trapped inside a collapsed San José mine was followed closely around the world.

© Getty Images

Atacama, Chile - After being trapped for 69 days, the miners were successfully rescued. Over one billion people tuned in to watch the rescue, which then became immortalized in the movie 'The 33.'

© Reuters

Apollo 13 - "Houston, we've had a problem here"—who could ever forget the iconic words exchanged between astronaut John "Jack" Swigert and the NASA Mission Control Center after the Apollo 13 crew heard an explosion noise?

© Public Domain

Apollo 13 - In April 1970, the mission headed to the Moon came to a stall after an oxygen tank ruptured. The crafty astronauts managed to temporarily repair the carbon dioxide removal system and safely land in the South Pacific.

© Public Domain

Chiang Rai, Thailand - In 2018, people all across Thailand and the world were relieved to learn that 12 boys and their soccer coach were found alive after missing for nine days.

© Reuters

Chiang Rai, Thailand - The group had become trapped in a flooded cave at the Tham Luang cave complex. They were found by British rescue divers during a search operation that involved more than 1,000 people. A video shows the moment the divers found the then-25-year-old coach and the boys, who were all aged between 11 and 16.

© Reuters

Port-au-Prince, Haiti - The 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 devastated the capital Port-au-Prince and affected the lives of millions of people. One of the most surprising rescues took place 15 days after the quake struck.

© NL Beeld

Port-au-Prince, Haiti - After a man heard moaning from a pile of rubble, rescuers dug a trench until they found 16-year-old Darlene Etienne stuck under a piece of metal. Etienne said she had been conscious the whole time.

© NL Beeld

New York, USA - In what has been considered one of the most successful water landings in history, Captain Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger managed to land on the Hudson River with 150 people aboard.

© Reuters

New York, USA - The incredible landing happened only a few minutes after the plane took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport and was hit by a flock of geese. Everybody aboard the aircraft survived, and the event was portrayed in the film 'Sully,' starring Tom Hanks.

© Reuters

Tehran, Iran - In 1979, thousands of Iranians stormed the US embassy and took dozens of Americans hostage for 444 days. Luckily, six American diplomats managed to evade capture.

© Public Domain

Tehran, Iran -

The CIA then came up with an elaborate plan, which involved the six diplomats pretending to be filmmakers working on a sci-fi movie called 'Argo.' Their excuse was that they were in Iran scouting for locations.

© Getty Images

Tehran, Iran - They successfully managed to exit the country with fake passports, and the whole ordeal was brought to the big screen by actor-director Ben Affleck in the movie 'Argo,' which won three Oscars.

© Reuters

New Orleans, USA - Deadly Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, killing over 1,000 people and leaving many more without a home.

© Reuters

New Orleans, USA - The US Coast Guard worked tirelessly in the months that followed the tragic August 25, 2005 day. In the end, more than 5,000 rescuers saved over 33,000 lives.

© Reuters

Texas, USA - Jessica McClure was 18 months old when she fell into a well in her aunt's backyard on October 14, 1987. For the next 58 hours, rescuers drilled a tunnel across the well to free the child.

© Public Domain

Texas, USA -

The whole odyssey prompted 24-hour live coverage on CNN, with millions of people all around the US tuning in to see the latest updates. The two-day drama ended when baby Jessica was finally rescued.

© Getty Images

The Andes, Chile - On October 13, 1972, a plane flying from Montevideo, Uruguay to Santiago, Chile crashed in the Andes after being hit by bad weather. More than a quarter of the passengers died, and the survivors had to resort to cannibalism.

© Public Domain

The Andes, Chile - Survivors Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa (pictured) braved the mountains to find help. On December 22, they came back with a rescue party and all 16 survivors made it to the hospital.

© Public Domain

Nantucket Island, North Atlantic - In 1956, Italian luxury liner SS Andrea Doria collided with the MS Stockholm while carrying around 1,700 people.

© Public Domain

Nantucket Island, North Atlantic - The passengers immediately evacuated to the Stockholm and other nearby ships that had heard the distress calls. The Andrea Doria dramatically sunk, but there were only 46 fatalities.

© Public Domain

Cabanatuan, Philippines -

This complex World War II mission saw 121 volunteer US Army Rangers set out to rescue more than 500 allied prisoners of war from the Cabanatuan camp in the Philippines.

© Getty Images

Cabanatuan, Philippines -

The Rangers launched a surprise attack on the Japanese in January 1945, and managed to free hundreds of soldiers with minimal casualties.

© Getty Images

Somalia - On April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates seized the ship MV Maersk Alabama, capturing Captain Richard Phillips and taking him on a lifeboat as hostage, in what would become a four-day nightmare.

© Public Domain

Somalia -

On April 12, Navy Seal snipers waiting in a nearby US warship determined the captain's life was at risk when they allegedly spotted one of the pirates pointing an AK-47 at him, and fired at the kidnappers. Captain Philips was rescued unharmed.

See also: The unsolved mysteries surrounding US presidents

© Public Domain