Missed for more than 24 hours
Because of an unknown number: Bergsteiger ignored calls from the rescue team for hours
The missing mountaineer ignored the calls from the rescue team for hours – because they came from an unknown number (symbol image).
© xThomasxTrutschel / photothek.dex / Imago Images
A stray hiker in Colorado, USA, ignored calls from emergency services because he did not know the number. Repeated attempts to contact the man who had been missing for more than 24 hours went unanswered.
A man who got lost for 24 hours while hiking on the highest mountain in Colorado has ignored repeated calls from rescue teams because they came from an unknown number. The local search and rescue service of the Lake District reports on Facebook.
After the man failed to return to his accommodation after hiking, he was reported missing around 8 p.m. Repeated attempts to contact the missing person through phone calls, text messages and voicemail messages have been ignored, the agency said in a statement.
Unsuccessful rescue operations
Five rescue members were deployed to search Mount Elbert around 10 p.m., but returned around 3 a.m. after failing to find the missing hiker on the 4401-meter-high summit. A second team set out at 7 a.m. the following day to search additional areas where hikers are more likely to lose their way. However, they were notified that the missing person had returned to his accommodation on his own at around 9:30 a.m.
The hiker told the authorities that he got lost at nightfall and then wandered around on various paths. It wasn’t until the next morning, about 24 hours after he left, that he got back to his car. According to the emergency services, he was unaware that anyone had been looking for him.
Missing person ignores calls from rescuers
“A fact worth mentioning is that the person in question ignored repeated calls from us because they did not recognize the number,” said the emergency services.
The search for the hiker took more than 32 hours. The news that the missing person had ignored the calls from the rescue workers caused angry reactions on Facebook.
Rescue service protects hikers
“Please remember that what appears to be common sense in hindsight is not obvious to a person the moment they get lost and panic,” said the emergency services.
Nevertheless, they warn not to imitate the missing person and instead to react to calls in such situations – even from strangers. After all, “could be a search and rescue team that wants to make sure you are safe”.