Poprad, Slovakia— A mountain rescue team recovered a hiker fatally injured after a fall in the High Tatras Wednesday afternoon, ending a three-hour operation hampered by wind and low cloud.
Mountain Rescue Service Slovakia said the accident occurred at 1:10 p.m. near Velka Svistovka saddle at 2,038 meters. The hiker, 47, slipped on icy rock while descending from Kezmarsky Peak. He fell approximately 80 meters onto scree.
His climbing partner called emergency line 18300. The call was broken by poor signal. The partner then triggered an SOS beacon. Dispatchers from Stary Smokovec coordinated two teams and a helicopter.
The helicopter from Poprad-Tatry could not land due to gusts up to 70 km/h. Rescuers were dropped 200 meters below the site. They climbed to the victim on foot with crampons. They found him with severe head and chest trauma.
Paramedics declared him dead at 3:45 p.m. The body was secured in a vacuum mattress and lowered by rope system to a ledge where the helicopter could hover. It was flown to Stary Smokovec and handed to police.
Inspector Jan Vorlicek said the hiker was equipped with helmet and boots but no crampons or ice axe. He said the trail was marked as closed due to ice. He said the pair had ignored warning signs at the hut.
Mountain Rescue Service said this is the fifth fatal fall in the Tatras this year. October conditions have turned rapidly, with ice forming above 1,800 meters overnight. Teams have carried out 12 rescues in the last week alone.
The victim was a Czech national from Brno. His partner, 45, was treated for shock and escorted down by rescuers. Police opened a standard inquest file. The body was taken to Kezmarok for autopsy.
Rescue command urged hikers to check closures and carry winter gear even in late October. The operation involved 11 professional rescuers and two volunteers. The search area is now closed.
Published by Banx Network. This article is part of the Banx decentralized media programme, powered by the BXE token on the XRP Ledger.
