Romanian Tourists Rescued After Seven Hour Ordeal On Mountain Ridge

According to Gheorghe Haiduc, head of the Busteni Mountain Rescue Service, the four tourists, lacking adequate equipment, remained stranded in a very dangerous zone, which is steep and full of ice, and which is only recommended to professional mountain climbers.

 

"The four tourists should a great amount of recklessness and foolhardiness. They remained stuck in a very dangerous area, steep and full of ice, in professional mountain climbing territory.

 

Bucsoiului Valley is an alpine valley, and only professional mountain climbers should go in there. The wind is strong, it is heavily raining and snowing and the route is covered in ice. Due to the fact they spent almost seven hours in a blizzard, the tourists were hypothermic. It was an exploit of great carelessness on their behalf to go up on the mountain without proper equipment," Haiduc said.

 

According to Haiduc, two of the tourists were brought down from the Bucsoiului Valley to the base of the mountain, while the other two were taken to the Omu Cabin and will be brought to Busteni sometime today, if the weather allows it.

 

Haiduc added the mountain rescue operation as difficult and it included two distinct crews, in pairs of two, searching throughout the valley.

 

The mountain rescue service warns tourists found in Prahova Valley this weekend that they should not venture on Bucegi mountain routes, as there might be snowstorms at high altitudes.