Members of the Mountain Rescue Service (GSS) Prenj successfully rescued five minor citizens of the Czech Republic who were disoriented on Mount Prenj due to the impending storm and the inability to find accommodation, after which a demanding night rescue operation was organized in extremely difficult weather conditions.
The GSS Prenj announced that the Konjic Police Department Operations Center informed their members on Monday afternoon that five people were on Mount Prenj, at the foot of the Otiš peak, who had requested assistance due to loss of orientation, impending storm and the inability to find accommodation, since the Vrutak mountain hut was locked.
Immediately upon receiving the information, members of the GSS contacted the people and gave them instructions to move towards the Tisovica valley, try to find the Giant’s House and wait for the arrival of rescue teams. Since there is no telephone signal in Tisovica, the victims were also given additional safety instructions for further action.
“Due to snow drifts and landslides, the road to Tisovica is still impassable for vehicles, which is why the only possible option was a foot intervention during which it was necessary to overcome about 1,000 meters of ascent. Nine members of the GSS Prenj were sent to the operation together with the search dog Nero. The team set off from the direction of Idbar towards Tisovica in heavy rain, in the dark and in extremely unfavorable weather conditions, with further deterioration of the weather and heavy rainfall announced during the night,” the GSS Prenj stated.
After almost three hours of walking, searching and locating in demanding terrain, members of the GSS Prenj successfully found all five people who requested help on the Prenj mountain.
As they stated, they were citizens of the Czech Republic aged 16 and 17, which further indicated the seriousness of the situation and the difficult conditions in which they found themselves.
The rescue operation was successfully completed after a long hike and return to a safe location, and the only additional difficulties were the heavy rainfall that accompanied the entire intervention.
GSS Prenj once again appealed to mountaineers and mountain visitors to carefully plan their route, follow the weather forecast and use appropriate equipment before going to the mountain. They also warned that it is important to realistically assess one’s own capabilities, especially in conditions of sudden weather changes and on demanding mountains like Prenj.
