Accident at the “BETE” part of the Mátyás-hegyi-cave
On the 13th of August, 2022, a small group took part in am adventure tour in in the Mátyás-hegyi-cave in Budapest. The company made an approximately 2.5-hour long trip in a natural cave (not in a show cave built with concrete paths) with professional guidance of a cave tour guide.
In this part of the cave, you have to crawl and climb, in many places through narrower passages, in other places through small squeezes or on ledges. No caving experiences are required to participate in the tour.
Shortly after midday, at one of the climb, at the so-called "BETE leap-crossing" (BETE átlépő), a 28-year-old woman slipped and fell on her back. She complained that her pelvis was hurting. Due to the seriousness of the accident and the increasing pain, the tour guide requested the help of the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service (BMSz).
The cave rescue service sent an alert (by SMS) to its members at 12:40 p.m. The cave rescuers in and around Budapest were summoned at the scene.
The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service arrived at the scene with sufficient rescue equipment. A group of doctors was the first to go down to the cave to treat the injured.
By that time, the injured person was already given first aid under the guidance of the tour guide: she was secured and protected against cold with insulation blankets (the temperature in the cave is 12 degrees Celsius).
Ankle injury near Rózsika spring
During the afternoon of July 9, 2022, a hiker slipped on the yellow trail (near Solymár) and fell about 15m on a sloped surface, finally being stopped by a ledge about 1 meter above the creek.
The National Ambulance Service started the rescue at about 2PM. After stabilizing the injured right ankle, they asked for help in transporting the patient.
The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service approached the patient with 10 rescuers, alongside the firefighter units 4 person crew.
The patient was placed in a special mountain rescue stretcher and was transported using the aid of alpine rigging techniques.
The patient was transferred to the Hospital at 16:25 in good condition. We wish for a fast recovery!
Photo: Péter Adamkó, Károly Filei
Sickness on top of "Hárs-hegy" (Linden hill)
On 26th of May 2022 at 15:10, the Dispatch Control Center of the National Ambulance Service requested help from the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service. At the "Kaán Károly" Lookout at the top of "Hárs Hegy" above "Szépjuhászné", a popular hiking spot on the outskirts of Budapest, a 14-year-old girl became ill during a class excursion, and was unable to continue the hike or even to get down from the mountain on her own.
The incident did not happen in a cave, but as it turns out, we can be called in to help quickly on the surface as well. We knew the location well (the famous "Bátori cave" opens here), so we knew that it was accessible by an all-terrain vehicle.
The BMSz all-terrain vehicle unit went to the scene, picked up and escorted the National Ambulance Service doctor and nurse to the casualty. The young lady was given an IV fluid on the spot and was then transported by all-terrain vehicle to the ambulance waiting at the foot of the hill.
We wish you a speedy recovery!
Photo by András Jenő Nagy
Financial assistance for the family of Márton Mede, who died in the Kossuth Cave
Dear caver and diver friends,
On April 3, 2022, our friend Márton Mede disappeared during an exploratory dive. Several organizations worked hard during his search and later to bring him to the surface, with their help our friend's body left his beloved cave after a week.
The rescue of the cave diving accident at Jósvafő has been completed
The longest rescue operation in the history of the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service ended on at around 2 p.m on Sunday, the 10th of April 2022. After 7 days of search and rescue, the body of a cave diver who died on the 3rd of April during an exploratory dive was brought to the surface.
The body of the missing diver was found on Tuesday, at a considerable distance, about 250 meters, from the start of the dive, the entrance to the “Reménytelen” (Hopeless) Sump, at a depth of about 30 meters. The cause of the accident seems to be a collapse of the passage, the traces of which were discovered by the cave divers diving the next day, at a depth of -48 meters at the end of the known passage.
The terminal zone of the passage was filled up with muddy sediment and the diving guide rope was stuck beneath it. The possible signs indicating the collapse are being examined by the experts of the Aggtelek National Park by analysing the data of the karst water level registering well and the water flow meter at the “Nagy-Tohonya” spring.
Press release
Dear cavers, dear friends!
The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service, together with several cave rescue and diving services, has been organizing and performing several search and rescue operations inside the Kossuth Cave. These activities are related to the accident that happened on Sunday. Cave rescue service personnel, cave divers and civilians are engaged in a physically and especially mentally exhausting tasks in extreme environmental conditions.
In addition to the large number of volunteers, the members of the Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK)– have joint the operation on Monday night. Their task is to help the organisation and the logistics and support the work of the professionals working inside the cave. The commander of TEK ordered a full news block on Monday in connection with the ongoing operation.
As soon as the Counter-Terrorism Centre lifts the news block, we will be happy to inform all those interested about the current situations and the results of the rescue process. It will also be possible to answer the many questions that have arisen since.
We would like to thank you for your support and for the understanding of the current situation.
Hungarian Cave Rescue Service
Cave diver accident in the Kossuth cave near Josvafő
On Sunday, 3rd of April 3 2022, members of a cave diving group from the capital conducted exploratory dives in the Kossuth Cave near Jósvafő. An accident happened during their dive: one of the cave diver did not return by the prescribed time to the starting point located in the Apáink-terme (Our Father’s room) part of the cave. The companions of the divers, who were provided the safety of the diver set off immediately after, but were not able to find the trail of the safety guided rope in the known passages. The visibility in the underwater parts of the cave at that time was next to zero.
After the alert of the cave rescue teams, the Gömör-Tornai Territorial Unit of the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service arrived at the scene in the afternoon, with the assistance of the North Hungarian Association of Cave Rescuers, the Bakonyi Cave Rescue Service and the Speleo Roznava (SK) In collaboration with BAZ County Specialists of the Disaster Management organization, the Neptune Diving Club and the cave divers of the Amphora Diving Club, which has been researching the cave for decades, began planning further dives to locate the missing diver. Additional assistance arrived for the operations in the evening and in the morning, including several rescuers with relevant cave diving experience.