It has been 33 years since the day when sisters Drazenka and Sima Culjak from Bogodol fell into a ten-meters deep pit, while traveling to Siroki Brijeg. Without any food, completely helpless and on a great cold, they spent seven days and eight nights in the pit, and they were rescued by hunters from the nearby village Drago, Rade and Kreso Cavar.
Later on, both legs were amputated to both sisters, but thanks to the medical aids and their great enthusiasm, they are successful wives and mothers now. They live in Canada, and they visited the place that changed their lives only once after the accident. Three years ago, they went there together with the men who rescued them.
They tried to get out and continue with their trip, but that was just not possible. Snow and ice did their thing; and it seemed like there was no salvage in the depths of that hottible pit. Their father thought that they are with their mother in Mostar, their mother thought that no one would come out of the house on such snow. There was no phone, the connections were not like they are now.
“We believed that hunters could find us. The village was close, we screamed, shouted for help, but no one heard us. We had some crisis moments as well, we felt like no one loved us and that we were not important to anyone. I knew that neighbours used to look for a lost cow for the entire night, while we were so close but at the same time so far away,” said Drazenka.
“I remember that I was losing my hope, while Sima constantly repeated to continue praying. And then, when I was praying to God, I heard hunters and dogs barking in the background,” stated younger sister Culjak.
However, hunters were scared that they might be some kind of supernatural creatures from stories. Because, who would survive 7 days in the snow, without any food?
In the end, humanity defeated all the fears, and Drago, Rade and Kreso returned to save sisters. One of them saw the girls who needed help in the pit. He asked for a rope, and the other two also took part in the action, and they eventually succeeded with great effort. The sisters ended up in one of the houses in the nearby village very soon. They got new clothes, food and warm drinks.
Three years ago, during their stay in their native Herzegovina, sisters visited their rescuers who are still alive, and visited the place where they spent seven days in the snow for the first time after the accident. Their story went all over the world, and the media wrote about the impossible survival in extreme conditions for days, and Canadian television is planning to record a feature film.
One TV house recorded a short documentary about this unusual accident. Drazenka revealed that she is planning to write a book about the story that is still remembered by the residents of the former Yugoslavia.
(Source: fokus.ba)
