Lost tourists found in southern Turkey

ANTALYA

A search and rescue helicopter spotted the three students. AA Photo

One British and two Dutch students have been found safe, five days after being lost while trekking in southern Turkey.

David Mackie, Marje de Grott and Frisa de Vries set out on the renowned Lycian Way from Göynük in Antalya in the direction of Muğla, hundreds of kilometers to the west, on Jan. 14. Within two days, the trio lost their way, prompting them to call emergency services.

Based on the geographical description that the students provided over the phone, 137 people, including emergency workers as well as members of a local motorcycle club, began searching for the three students, all of whom are 22 years old. The three people were exchange students at Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University and Kadir Has University.


A search and rescue helicopter spotted the three students, who looked “tired but fine,” on Jan. 19.  Because the helicopter was not able land to take the three students due to the difficult terrain, a team of rescuers was sent to the mountain.

“They were looking healthy. Now we are trying to retrieve them. Our land teams are moving toward the spot we determined,” local rescue official Halil Serdar Cevheroğlu told Anadolu Agency.

The students were then taken to the helicopter and brought to the Kemer district of Antalya where they were reunited with their families. They were sent to the state hospital in Kemer, while one of the students was carried in a stretcher.

Dr. Levent Mumbuç, who examined the tree, said their health conditions were good. “They are in good condition. None of them are injured. They survived the five days by drinking water from the river and eating fruits and small bugs. They are tired and weak,” said Mumbuç.

Christopher Mackie, the father of the British student, thanked the Turkish authorities for the rescue operation. Annehe de Vries de Bout, the mother of Frisa Anne Antoney de Vries, said she was happy to see her child again.

Gonnie Van Kranenburg, the mother of Marije de Groot, also said she was happy to see her daughter healthy.