Nearly 50 tourists who climbed Parang on a paid excursion and accompanied by several guides were unable to advance further due to strong wind and snow, requiring the intervention of mountain rescuers. A code orange has been issued at high altitudes due to strong winds, snow drifts and reduced visibility.

50 people climbed Parang on the ridge route from Kabana Rusu to Parangul Mare in extremely difficult terrain, the tourists were surprised by the bad weather.

• “It was a group organized by a climbing agency, they had very few instructors and unfortunately they were not supposed to do the route in today’s conditions because the weather was bad all day today. You go to the mountain in bad weather when you want to test the ability of two, three or five people, with whom you want to do an expedition in the great mountains of the world, and not with 50 people,” said the head. Salvamont Romania, by Sabin Cornuyu, for News.ro.

The trip was organized with less than one guide for every 10 people, he said, but also in a context in which it was announced in advance that there would be strong winds at high altitudes, breaking up the snow.

• “Everyone was pulled out, there are mountain rescuers, some who could no longer walk were taken out on ATVs, but the problem is that on an ATV or snowmobile you can climb some sections, only a very short section, then you enter the ridge, where it is dangerous even to walk, let alone move around with such a car,” said Chief Salvamont.

In the Retezat and Parang mountain ranges, at an altitude of more than 1,800 meters above sea level, wind gusts exceed 60 km/h, blowing away snow. At an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, the snow layer is more than 40 centimeters, and in warehouses – more than a meter, visibility – less than 10 meters, mountain rescuers reported on Saturday.

There will be bad weather on the mountain on Sunday as well. On Saturday, meteorologists issued a code orange warning in effect from Saturday night to Sunday, from 2:00 a.m. to Sunday at 4:00 p.m., warning of blizzards in the mountainous area south of Hunedoara.