Russian tourists stranded on mountain for 11 hours rescued

ANTALYA

The gendarmerie and teams of Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) have rescued four Russian tourists who were trapped on the mountain for 11 hours while trekking.

Four Russian tourists who went on a nature walk in the southern province of Antalya’s Kemer district on Dec. 17 realized that they would not be able to find their way back after a while.

Tourists who did not have enough living supplies with them informed the emergency center when they were stranded on the mountain.

After the notification made to the emergency call center at 7:00 p.m. on the same day, the Gendarmerie search and rescue teams affiliated to the provincial Gendarmerie Command and AFAD teams were dispatched to the scene where the tourists were located.

The teams reached the area where the tourists were stranded on Dec. 18 at 7:00 a.m. after intensive work that lasted all night.

Rescue teams requested helicopter support since the geography of the region, where tourists were stranded on the mountain for 11 hours, has steep and rocky features.

Four tourists were rescued after a Sikorsky-type helicopter reached the area, while they were sent to the hospital for checks on their health condition.

Following the examination at the hospital, the Russian tourists were taken to the district center.

AFAD was established in 2009 in Türkiye to carry out necessary search and rescue works and take measures in case of an emergency situation.

In May, more than half a million volunteers enrolled in courses organized regularly by AFAD.