| Participant - Mariusz Malkowski survived the avalanche uninjured & has been rescued from the mountain |
FIBARO, a leading European manufacturer of wireless, intelligent home automation systems, announced that the main participant in the FIBARO Mount Everest Challenge Powered by Z-Wave, Mariusz Malkowski, has been rescued from the mountain and is now home with his family in New Jersey, USA.
Malkowski helped people trapped under the snow
Malkowski was about two weeks into his ascent when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake and ensuing avalanche hit. He miraculously survived the avalanche, uninjured, and was able to help people who were trapped under the snow and save lives. FIBARO arranged to have him airlifted off the mountain on Monday via helicopter. He was brought to New Delhi for a short stopover, after which he was able to catch a flight for the 15-hour trip back to the U.S.
“I feel so fortunate to have survived such a horrible tragedy,” Malkowski said. “Obviously, there were thousands of people that weren’t so lucky. The devastation there is overwhelming. Our hearts go out to the people of Nepal and their families.”
Donating funds from its Mount Everest expedition to UNICEF
FIBARO has also announced that it will donate funds from its Mount Everest expedition to UNICEF to help the victims of the recent Nepal earthquake.
“We are so grateful that our climber, Mariusz Malkowski, not only survived the earthquake and the avalanche on Mount Everest but was able to also help some of the injured,” said Rich Bira, FIBARO’s Managing Director, USA. “But the tragic results of the earthquake will be felt for a long time to come. Having a close friend in the middle of this disaster made the situation very personal for us. We feel it is the right thing to donate the remaining funds from our Mount Everest project to help the residents of that region.”
"We are so grateful that our climber, Mariusz Malkowski, not only survived the earthquake and the avalanche on Mount Everest but was able to also help some of the injured" |
FIBARO - the primary sponsor
FIBARO was the primary sponsor of the FIBARO Mount Everest Challenge Powered by Z-Wave, in which Malkowski, an experienced climber and technical services manager at Sigma Designs, would scale Everest and demonstrate the power of home automation equipment -- and Z-Wave technology -- from different points along his journey. This project has officially ended.
Last Saturday's quake killed more than 5,000 people and injured at least 10,000. The United Nations says more than eight million people have been affected and some 70,000 houses have been destroyed. What’s more, nearly 1 million children require urgent humanitarian assistance.