The leaders of the Mountain Rescue Service (GSS) Zenica, who returned from the Russian Federation on Friday evening together with the two Zenica mountaineers who survived the tragic accident on July 25 during the expedition to Elbrus, Haris Adilović and Kemal Vidimlić, spoke at a press conference in Zenica on Tuesday evening about the next steps regarding the transportation of the bodies and the burial of the five dead mountaineers.
Namely, the bodies of the deceased spouses Alma and Denis Okanović, members of the GSS Zenica and mountaineers Nermin Talam, doctors Meliha Čaušević and Almir Kadrić, are still in the Russian Federation, and the president of the GSS Zenica Dino Ahmetović and the chief Kenan Hrustanović, who traveled to the Russian Federation, and Munever Aganhodžić, who coordinated the activities in Zenica in their absence, could not specify the exact date of the body’s return even tonight of the dead and their joint burial in Zenica.
“This is one of the most difficult moments for this site, this city, this country and the entire mountain community,” said Ahmetović, and expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the dead. He asked everyone to respect the victims as well as the survivors who are in the phase of mental and physical recovery after everything they have been through.
“The process of transporting the bodies of the victims has already started. The bodies are in Moscow. We cannot confirm the exact date of their delivery to Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Ahmetović.
He explained that the bodies of the injured mountaineers will first be transported by transport plane to Belgrade, from where they will be returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A joint commemoration is also planned in Zenica, the city that will declare a Day of Mourning on the day of the funeral. In the territory of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Day of Mourning was passed on July 28.
The Government of FBiH and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH were from the very beginning involved in the action to support and plan the return of surviving mountaineers and the bodies of victims to their homeland, and the Government of FBiH allocated 70,000 BAM and sent special vehicles of the Federal Administration of Civil Protection to the Russian Federation, which should bring the van and equipment of the Zenica mountaineers.
For everything, Ahmetovic thanked the leading people from the rescue and other services of the Russian Federation who provided them with all kinds of help, as well as FBiH Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić and Zenica Mayor Fuad Kasumović. Ivan Bandić from Žepče provided them with great support, they point out.
He announced that the date of the commemoration and the day of the funeral will be determined after the body is transported to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as after an agreement with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, the City Administration of the City of Zenica and the Majlis of the Islamic Community of Zenica.
