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 rescue team’s calls for hours – because they came from an unknown number (avatar).
© xThomasxTrutschel / photothek.dex / Imago Images
A stray park in Colorado, US, ignored calls from emergency services because he didn’t know the number. Repeated attempts to contact the missing man for over 24 hours went unanswered.
A man who went missing for 24 hours while hiking on the highest mountain in Colorado ignored repeated calls from rescue teams because they came from an unknown number. The local Lake District search and rescue service reports on Facebook.
After the man failed to return to his residence after hiking, he was reported missing around 8pm. The agency said in a statement that repeated attempts to contact the missing person through phone calls, text messages and voicemail messages were ignored.
Unsuccessful rescues
Five rescue personnel were deployed to search Mount Elbert around 10pm, but returned around 3am after failing to find the lost hiker on the 4,401-meter summit. The second team set out the next day at 7 a.m. to search additional areas where hikers were likely to get lost. However, they were notified that the missing person had returned to his residence alone at around 9:30 AM.
The park told authorities that he got lost in the night and then wandered down different trails. He didn’t return to his car until the next morning, about 24 hours after he had left. According to the emergency services, he didn’t know anyone was looking for him.
Missing person ignores calls from rescuers
“It is a noteworthy fact that the person concerned ignored repeated calls from us because he did not recognize the number,” the emergency services said.
The search for the park took over 32 hours. News of the missing person ignoring the calls of rescue workers caused an angry backlash on Facebook.
Rescue service protects hikers
“Please remember that what appears to make sense in hindsight is not obvious to anyone at the moment they are lost and panicked,” the emergency services said.
However, they caution against imitating the missing person and instead answer calls in such situations – even from strangers. After all, “it could be a search and rescue team that wants to make sure you’re safe.”