One of the tourists from Lithuania who was found by TOPR rescuers in the Świdnica area in the Tatra Mountains has died. When help reached the woman, she was unconscious and in a state of deep hypothermia. She was taken to a hospital in Krakow, but she could not be saved.
TOPR rescuers were looking for three Lithuanian women on Friday. 44 rescuers and a helicopter crew took part in the expedition, which performed flights on Saturday morning. One of the missing women was found only at 4.20 a.m. on the Liliowe Pass.
– The tourist was unconscious and in a state of deep hypothermia. Her body temperature was only 21 degrees Celsius. She was warmed on site by rescuers and a TOPR doctor for two hours and then she was transported from Kasprowy Wierch by cable car to Kuźnice and then transferred to an ambulance, and then by LPR helicopter she was taken to one of Krakow's hospitals – said Piotr Konopka, the TOPR rescuer on duty.
The woman could not be saved. After a few hours she died in the hospital. Piotr Konopka, a TOPR rescuer, told the TVN24 camera that the tourists had neither equipment nor knowledge. – If they had knowledge, they certainly would not have found themselves there in these conditions – he said.
The Lithuanian woman's death was first reported by the portal rfm24.pl
The tourists were unprepared
Another two Lithuanian women were found near Gąsienicowa PrzeŁączka, off the tourist trail. In the morning, one of them was transported by helicopter to Zakopane. The third victim, who was in good condition, was brought to Hala Gąsienicowa to the shelter.
According to the rescuer, the tourists were not even able to provide details of their trip, where they started from and where they were going. Additionally, they did not have appropriate equipment and warm clothing. The reporting person could not even say where they were staying overnight, claiming that they were staying at the Katowice hotel, meanwhile they were staying overnight in Kuźnice.
On Friday, tourist conditions in the Tatra Mountains were poor, and at night they worsened. The peaks were shrouded in thick fog, limiting visibility, and the temperature dropped to 4 degrees Celsius. There was a strong wind, gusting to speeds of up to 120 km/h, and it was raining. On Saturday morning, the sun shone over the Tatra Mountains and the fog disappeared.
Main photo source: Petkowicz/Shutterstock