Dangerous ventures in incredible heat lead to more work for HGSS!
As DuList reports on the 11th of August, 2017, on Thursday, August the 10th, HGSS had two interventions in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, and fortunately both were successfully completed.
The first intervention took place around at 12:15 when the 112 Dubrovnik (emergency services) got a call asking for the urgent help of a citizen who was stuck up on Sveti Ilija above Orebic. The man took to the footpath at 05:00 that morning and despite having almost 5 litres of water and good experience, he still became disorientated, overheated, and couldn’t get back down.
HGSS in Orebić reported that two members of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service went out with one vehicle, found the individual and took him to the medical centre for medical help at 12:41. Orebić’s HGSS leaders stated that the 54-year-old had been found dehydrated and in an overall bad state.
HGSS stated that this case goes to show that even with good equipment, training and hiking experience, in the hellish heat that has been dominating the south of Croatia for weeks, unpleasant situations can still occur.
Several hours later, members of HGSS Dubrovnik had yet more work to do. At 16:46, an emergency call came in from a foreign citizen who had found themselves in an unpleasant situation on the mountain above Vitaljina, otherwise one of the southernmost parts of Croatia, just before the Montenegrin border.
The rescue operation was completed at 20:30, with two people successfully found.
HGSS recommends that while this hellish heat continues, it is better to go and buy a pink inflatable swan and sip something cold rather than try to tackle unforgiving mountains.