A man, stranded while riding a snowmobile, was located in Alaska with the help of GPS coordinates transmitted from his iPhone 14.
Utilizing Apple’s latest Emergency SOS satellite feature to reach out to emergency responders, the man was rescued from his predicament.
An adult male journeying via snowmachine from Noorvik to Kotzebue, remote areas, triggered an Emergency SOS through satellite on his iPhone at 2 a.m. on December 1 in Alaska, as reported by the Alaska State Troopers. Due to a lack of Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity in the region, the man’s distress call was crucial.
Following the transmission of the man’s GPS coordinates by the Apple Emergency Response Center to the troopers and the Northwest Arctic Borough Search and Rescue Coordinator, four volunteer searchers successfully located the stranded individual and safely transported him to Kotzebue. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported during the incident.
The rescued man was brought to Kotzebue by 6 a.m., a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Public Safety revealed. According to a report from Insider, the search and rescue teams were dispatched at 3:30 a.m. The man, although lacking a backup satellite phone, was adequately attired and equipped with essential supplies for starting a fire.
The responding troopers commended the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the initial alert they received, emphasizing their appreciation for the information provided.
This incident comes shortly after Apple introduced the Emergency SOS satellite feature for iPhone 14 users in the US and Canada (excluding Guam and American Samoa). This feature allows users to transmit distress messages to emergency services even in the absence of cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity.
By utilizing the Find My app, iPhone 14 owners can broadcast their location via satellite to friends and family, thanks to this groundbreaking feature. The Emergency SOS satellite capability is compatible with all models in the iPhone 14 series and is slated for release in various European markets, including the UK, Germany, France, and Ireland, later this month.
