They don't "need" them to survive and yet many people have been saved by their cell phones. We don't know yet, but there's a good chance these people might have

They don't "need" them to survive and yet many people have been saved by their cell phones. We don't know yet, but there's a good chance these people might have been saved had they been able to make a 911 call. Or if they had been on a more popular trail with other people around. Regardless, they took a big needless risk and it ended tragedy.