How people fell into the ravine in the Bucegi Mountains. Images from the accidents during the Transylvania 100 marathon
A participant in the Transylvania 100 mountain running competition, where several people slipped on icy sections and fell into a ravine, published images from the route in the Bucegi Mountains.
According to Salvamont Romania, 12 cases of people slipping on icy sections were recorded. Some victims fell into the ravine, and others were injured as a result of the falls.
“It's hard to describe what it means to hear people calling for help from the ravine”
The participant who published the images from the route says that this year's edition of the competition left him with a “bitter taste”.
“In all the years I've been participating in mountain running events, I've rarely seen such a lack of professionalism when it comes to competitor safety,” he wrote in a social media post.
“The most exposed portions, between Șigănești and Mălăești, but also a little below Șigănești, were not managed with the interest and responsibility that the conditions on the ground would have required,” explained the participant.
It claims that runners in the 80- and 100-kilometer races were most at risk, and says that extra safety measures were needed in the danger zones.
“It's hard to describe what it's like to hear people screaming for help from the ravine and see them slide before your eyes, not knowing if they'll stop or not,” the participant reported.
Salvamont calls for “serious analysis”
In a message published after the interventions in the Bucegi Mountains, Salvamont Romania conveyed that a “serious and responsible analysis” of the way in which sports competitions are organized in the mountain environment is necessary when the weather conditions can generate major risks for the participants.
The interventions involved the maximum capacity mobilization of the Salvamont structures in Brașov, Prahova and Dâmbovița, in conditions of low visibility, low temperatures and extensive portions covered with snow and ice.
“People's safety must always be the main priority”, says Salvamont Romania, which shows that the recommendations of mountain rescuers must be taken into account when organizing such events.
Previously, the head of Salvamont Romania, Sabin Cornoiu, said that more than 1,000 runners participated in the competition and that some of them were surprised by the conditions on the route.
“There are difficult weather conditions. Some athletes run in skimpy equipment, some in T-shirts, others in sneakers,” he said on CNN's Antena 3.
