Saved and then charged with thousands of euros. The situation lived by a tourist in the Dolomite Mountains
Illustrative image with Dolomite Mountains. Photo: Antonio Scarpi | Dreamstime.com
A British hiker was charged over 14,000 euros by the Italian mountain rescue service, after ignoring the danger warnings in the Dolomite Mountains, The Guardian reports.
The 60 -year -old man had to be saved after he ventured to Ferrata Berti, a rocky mountain path at an altitude of 2,500 meters (8,200 FT) in the San Vito Di Cadore area in the northern Italian mountains, where dozens of paths were closed last week due to the high risk of landslides.
Nicola Cherubin, the head of the Alpine Rescue Service in San Vito di Cadore, said that the man, whose name was not revealed to the public, started on Thursday morning from the Passo, near the curtain d'ampezzo, in the province of Belluno, and headed for Ferrata Berti, bypassing the barriers, The beginning of the route, as well as others that urge the hikers to return.
The man asked for help in the afternoon of the same day, because of stones falls.
“He said he did not know that the path was closed and did not see the signs,” Cherubin said, adding that the rescue operation involved the use of two helicopters due to adverse weather conditions.
Most of the amount, the cost of saving with the helicopter
Cherubin believes that the man is lucky to survive, although his adventure in the mountains-and Brexit-brought him an invoice of 14,225 euros, of which 11,160 euros to cover the cost of saving with the helicopter, which lasted 93 minutes.
A few days ago, two Belgian trips were rescued in similar conditions, but they had to pay a fraction of the invoice due to the fact that Belgium is a member of the European Union.
Giuseppe Dal Ben, the commissioner of the ULSS Sanitary Authority in the Dolomiti Mountains, urged tourists to “approach the mountains with respect and caution”.
“What happened (with the British trip) deserves a reflection,” he told the local press. “Helicopters are essential for (rescue) time -dependent operations in difficult environments. For this reason, it is important that they are not used as taxis, endangering not only those who provide assistance, but also those who need it,” the official concluded.
Photo: Antonio Scarpi | Dreamstime.com
