A tourist is fighting for his life after a fall in the Rysy area. Two others were searched all night long
The TOPR officer on duty reported the accident in the Rysy area on Sunday. Information about the incident was reported to the TOPR headquarters on Saturday by a random tourist who was at the height of the so-called Buli near Rysy, who noticed that the injured person fell down next to him at high speed on very hard snow. There was no visual or vocal contact with him.
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Where did the tourist accident occur?
What happened to the second 19-year-old tourist?
What injuries did the injured tourist suffer?
What are the conditions in the Tatra Mountains according to TOPR?
A helicopter with a five-person rescue team was sent to the site. After reaching the accident area, rescuers provided first aid to the injured person and transported him to the hospital in Zakopane. According to rescuers, the tourist was unconscious and suffered very serious injuries to his head, chest and lower limb. Doctors are fighting for his life.
According to Tatra rescuers, a man while descending from the peak of the so-called Rysa lost his balance and fell to an altitude of approximately 1,700 m above sea level. The man had winter tourist equipment, including: crampons and ice ax.
Two Polish tourists found after a night in the Slovak Tatra Mountains
On Sunday, Slovak mountain rescuers from the Horska Zachranna Service (HZS) also informed about two 19-year-old Polish tourists who spent the night in the Slovak High Tatras after an unsuccessful attempt to return from the Kriváň region. The men were found uninjured on Sunday morning.
According to Slovak rescuers, four Poles set off from Trzech Źródeła to Krywań on Saturday. During the approach, the tourists left the green tourist trail for the blue one, which led them to the area of the outlet of the Hlina Valley. There, however, they decided to abandon the further expedition and return.
Two participants of the expedition advanced, while a pair of 19-year-olds remained behind. However, until late in the evening, the slower two did not reach the place, which prompted the others to alert Slovak mountain rescuers. At night, HZS rescuers conducted searches on foot and from the air, using a drone with a thermal imaging camera. Searches included: Koprowa Valley and surrounding areas, but with no results. Due to the long-term rescue operation, ECMO equipment was also activated in Banská Bystrica, i.e. specialized medical equipment enabling extracorporeal blood oxygenation, used, among others, in case of severe hypothermia.
“At dawn on Sunday, seven more rescuers with dogs trained to search for people and a group of 11 professional and volunteer mountain rescuers joined in the activities. The missing young men were found in the area of Niżnia Nevcyrska Siklava. They were safe and sound,” HZS reported. Rescuers transported the 19-year-olds to Starý Smokovec.
TOPR reminds: conditions in the Tatra Mountains require experience and preparation
TOPR calls for caution and reminds that the current conditions require a lot of experience and appropriate preparation before going to the mountains. Rescuers point out that the conditions in the Tatra Mountains are currently very difficult for tourism. In the higher parts of the mountains, most of the trails are heavily icy and the ground is hard and slippery.
The snow cover varies greatly – in some places the snow is heavy and wet, in other areas it is hard and compact. Moving at high altitudes requires not only experience, but also the ability to assess the local avalanche risk and properly plan the route. Full winter equipment is required, including crampons, ice ax, helmet and avalanche ABC, as well as the ability to use this equipment.
