I came across this story and I was very impressed with the efficient use of Twitter.

A tragedy unfolded on Monday as two British snowboarders became separated from their party in white-out blizzard conditions in the Swiss resort of Verbier. Sadly, despite the efforts of the rescue team, though both of them were found, only one was still alive.

The tragic events took a Digital Dimension when the members of the party tried to help the rescue team by crowdsourcing mobile numbers and GPS coordinates thanks to the combined use of the Social Media Tool, Twitter & Google Maps.

“Phew. Just got GPS co-ordinates from the Dolphin guys iPhones (thank you Google Maps!) and passed on to ski patrol. Hopefully not long now.” – Tweet from Joshua March, member of the party on the day of the tragedy.

It seems it is not the first time that Twitter plays a helping hand in the news recently, and highlights the virality and sense of community: ”Tracking Storms Across Oklahoma”, “Free American Travelers from Egyptian Jails”, and “Up-to-the-Minute Alerts on the Mumbai Attacks”.

Original Story:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/mar/04/twitter-travelling-solo-emergency-safety

http://www.backpacker.com/blogs/817