On the occasion of the rescue operation of the dead mountaineer on the Visočica mountain, the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina wants to inform the public that yesterday it did not receive an official request from any level of government for help, including a request for helicopter support from EUFOR, which is the only one with the capacity and equipment for flying and rescue in night conditions, the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced.
The first phone call from the rescuers was sent to OKC 112 BiH only around 5:00 p.m., considering that night was falling and help was requested to hire a helicopter to transport the dead mountaineer from extremely difficult and inaccessible terrain, the Ministry of Security of BiH announced.
Given that no official requests were received from the lower levels of government, representatives of competent institutions were contacted directly to submit the necessary request for assistance. Without this data, it is not possible to send a helicopter, because accurate data from the field is necessary, including the coordinates of the accident location and an assessment of the possibility of helicopter access for eventual evacuation.
In this context, the Deputy Minister of Security personally contacted EUFOR with the aim of providing assistance to members of the mountain rescue services, if the conditions are met, according to the Ministry.
Subsequently, at 8:35 p.m., the Federal Administration of Civil Protection informed OKC BiH 112 that it had given up sending the request to EUFOR, and that the request for the engagement of the helicopter would be sent to the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasizes once again that in such situations, it is extremely important to respond urgently by all competent institutions and to act in accordance with the prescribed procedures of the protection and rescue system, in order to be able to respond in a timely manner in cases of rescuing victims, but also to provide support to members of the protection and rescue services who operate on the ground in extremely difficult and challenging conditions.
The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina expresses its gratitude to the members of all protection and rescue services who participated in this complex and demanding rescue operation.
Also, the Ministry appeals to all citizens to avoid moving on difficult and inaccessible terrain, especially in winter conditions, if they do not have the appropriate equipment and the necessary preparation, the Ministry of Security of BiH announced.
(TIP/Photo: Archive)
