March 2024 is the month of caves. This afternoon, as part of the Month of Caves series of events in the Danube-Ipoly National Park, I (A. Hegedűs) planned to give a presentation about our rescue mission in Turkey last autumn.
Shortly before the programme, the BMSz (Hungarian Cave Rescue Service) Hotline received an alarm that a caver had taken a bad step and dislocated his ankle at "Globe Hall" in the Mátyás Cave. As there were still two hours before the lecture, I thought I could usefully help with the rescue during the first hour and a half, so after a few seconds of thought I headed for the cave.
With the cave rescuers nearby, we arrived on the scene shortly after the alarm was raised and the rescue began. The four of us were the first to descend into the cave with the medical team (2 doctors, a paramedic and an assistant), with the medical equipment needed to treat the injured.