The two surviving members of the Zenica Mountain Rescue Service who took part in the seven-member Zenica expedition to the summit of Elbrus in the Russian Federation, during which five of them lost their lives, could soon return to Bosnia and Herzegovina, GSS Zenica member Munever Aganović announced in today’s press statement.
They are in constant contact with all competent BiH authorities, and the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nermin Nikšić, has promised to provide all kinds of assistance, so they hope that soon Haris Adilović and Kemal Vidimlić will be returned to BiH.
“The official information we have is that two of our members are currently being cared for and are in the camp. One of them has minor injuries, so as far as that is concerned, they are fine,” said Aganović.
He could not specify when the survivors Adilović and Vidimlić could return, but everyone hopes that it will be soon and that they will continue their recovery in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“By the time these legal procedures are completed, we hope that it will be today and that we will be able to return the two of them to the country by plane. However, we are trying to organize for one of us to go and provide them with help so that they are not alone in the journey,” he said.
When asked what kind of mental state Adilović and Vidimlić are in, he answers with a counter question – what kind of state can people be in who have lost five friends.
“All of us here and the entire community, the entire country, are taken aback by what happened, because this is an unprecedented tragedy. You can imagine what it’s like for them, who were there and experienced what they experienced,” Aganović points out, stating that they are in constant contact with the survivors.
The procedure for taking over the bodies of the dead and transporting them to BiH, he adds, is a little slower, so they don’t know when they will be transferred to BiH, but the Government of FBiH has undertaken that obligation.
Let us remind you that in the accident that happened on Saturday, married partners Alma and Denis Okanović, doctor Meliha Čaušević, Nermin Talam and Almir Krivdić lost their lives. The Okanovićs, like Adilović and Vidimlić, were members of the Zenica GSS, while Čaušević, Talam and Krivdić were experienced mountaineers and members of the Vedro Mountaineering Society from Zenica, but also sympathizers of the Zenica GSS.
According to the latest information from the Russian Federation, the rescuers also found the remaining three bodies, which are assumed to have perished from the Zenica expedition. Preparations are being made for their descent to the camp, as the weather conditions have improved a little.
