On 13 December 2024 in The Hague, the Netherlands, Luxembourg Air Rescue (LAR) has been awarded the Prix Benelux together with the Corps grand-ducal d’incendie et de secours (CGDIS) for its life-saving mission during the devastating fire at the Tour Kennedy in Liège on 24 June 2024.
On that date, a disastrous fire had broken out in the Tour Kennedy, a 27-storey residential building in Liège. As the local fire brigade was unable to rescue the residents trapped on the upper floors of the building using ladders, the Belgian crisis management team enquired whether LAR could send a rescue helicopter equipped with a winch.
A rescue helicopter, along with a specially trained crew consisting of an LAR pilot, an LAR winch operator and a rescuer from the CGDIS special unit GRIMP (Groupe de reconnaissance et d’intervention en milieu périlleux), was immediately dispatched to Liège. In an extremely challenging operation, the winch rescue team managed to free five residents trapped on their balconies and two firefighters from the roof of the building and bring them to safety.
In recognition of its cross-border rescue operation, which took place under the most difficult conditions, LAR was awarded the Prix Benelux together with the CGDIS. At the ceremony, LAR CEO Frank Halmes accepted the prize on behalf of the Luxembourg delegation. He expressed his gratitude for the great recognition bestowed upon LAR and the CGDIS and conveyed his highest appreciation to the rescue team for their extraordinary performance.
The Prix Benelux is awarded by the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Benelux to individuals, institutions, or companies that have rendered exceptional services to the BeNeLux countries, significantly contributing to the international reputation of the three nations. The prize is presented every two years during a ceremony.
