This is the incredible moment a missing hiker buried under an avalanche was able to hail down a rescue helicopter using only his one free arm.

The footage was filmed by paramedic Mathieu Lambert, who was inside the aircraft as it hovered over the mountainous region of Lidairdes, Switzerland, after the snow slip earlier this month.

It shows the young man, with just his head and one arm free, desperately waving as the helicopter shined a light down on him.

He is believed to have been ski touring in Lidairdes when the avalanche hit. His family alerted rescue services when he didn’t return on time.

Air Glaciers, a rescue and transport company, received the alert at 5.41 pm on February 8 and dispatched a helicopter with a paramedic and two rescue guides.

The team first checked the car park where the man had started his journey to ensure that he had not returned to his car.

They then began flying over the route he had provided his family.

The team eventually located visible tracks and dropped one of the guides to trace them.

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Miraculously, only using the search light on the helicopter, the team was able to spot the man’s arm waving at them and extract him from a large pile of snow blocks.

He was then hoisted 100ft up to safety.

Local reports stated the man recovered from the incident without serious injury.

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Footage shows himdesperately waving with his only free arm as the helicopter shined a light down on him.