A British teenager has gone missing in the mountains after making a desperate call for help, saying he was exhausted and suffering from hypothermia.
George Smyth’s mum, Jo, has flown to Romania after learning her 18-year-old boy, who was hiking in the country’s Bucegi Mountains, contacted the 112 emergency line. George has been missing since the evening of November 23, with an alert issued by the Salvamont Brasov rescue service on November 28.
His mother told local outlet Observator News: “He left his college in the UK on Sunday, without telling us, to go hiking alone. His phone last had a signal in an isolated area in the mountains. He made a heart-wrenching call to 112 on Sunday evening.
“The teams reached him within hours. His backpack was found at the same location from where he called for help. We flew to Romania immediately and are trying to support the search teams as best we can.”
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NX)
George is understood to have been walking to the village of Bran, famous for Bran Castle, which is rumoured to have been Dracula’s home.
Rescuers believe he reached the Tiganesti valley – over 6,562 feet above sea level – where he made the emergency call. Search and rescue operations involved a black Hawk helicopter, a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera and teams with sniffer dogs that retraced George’s route, the outlet added.
After scouring the terrain, rescuers found a rucksack, which has been handed over to police. There has been no further trace of George.
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NX)
“The mountain rescuers retraced the apparent route taken by the young man, but unfortunately they were unable to identify any new conclusive elements,” said Sebastian Marinescu, director of Brașov Mountain Rescue.
Officials said that George was wearing the jacket shown in the released photograph. Police urged anyone who thinks they may have seen the teenager or who has any relevant information to immediately contact Salvamont Brasov.
“George is a smart, loving and adventurous young man. He just turned 18 and is in his first year at the Faculty of Geology. He kept this trip a secret from us so that we wouldn’t worry,” his worried mum told Observator News. “We hope and pray that he somehow survived despite all the odds. Just the thought of a life without him is unbearable.”
The local outlet reported on Saturday that rescue teams had temporarily suspended their search for George due to the danger of an avalanche, adding they would resume as soon as the weather improved. It is unclear whether search efforts have resumed.
