An accident occurred while mountaineering in the Bucegi mountains of Romania. Antonia Mihailescu, a 36-year-old experienced climber, fell 40 feet to her death after the safety rope’s anchor broke. Three of his companions were injured in this incident.
A heart-wrenching accident has happened in the Busegi mountains of Romania. Here a female tourist died after falling from a 40 feet high cliff. Antonia Mihailescu, 36, was on a group expedition with three fellow climbers. Last Saturday afternoon, when they were descending the mountain, the anchor of the safety rope broke and they all fell down. Antonia was a renowned dentist and experienced mountaineer. He also climbed the Uhuru peak of Kilimanjaro and the mountains of Peru. She had also reached Everest Base Camp.
The accident occurred due to anchor failure
Antonia was descending the mountain with three men, aged between 26 and 51, under the supervision of a qualified instructor. They were all on the ‘Albisoara brenai’ route. At around 3 pm, when the group was passing through a dangerous part, the single anchor point to which they were tied suddenly broke. Last in line was Antonia, who was the first to slip. As soon as they slipped, a chain reaction started and all four people fell on the rocks. Antonia suffered serious injuries in this accident and died on the spot. The three men who fell with him were badly injured, but survived.
After this accident, the largest mountain rescue operation in the history of Romania was carried out. In this, four helicopters including a Black Hawk and ground teams were sent from Bucharest. There were many difficulties in the rescue operation due to bad weather and difficult road. Antonia’s body was taken out of the rocks last.
Criminal investigation started
Prowa County official Dan Nicodim confirmed that an instructor was accompanying the group. Now prosecutors have started a criminal investigation into this case. The investigation is focusing on whether the climbers made a mistake in setting the safety point or whether the equipment itself was faulty. Mountain climbing experts say that even experienced climbers should always use more than one anchor. “The rule is to always have two or three protection points, so that if one fails, the others take over,” said a spokesman for the Romanian Alpine Club.
Antonia lived her passion for the mountains alongside her busy dentist career. Colleagues at his clinic in Bucharest said, “Some people leave a very deep mark… We will never forget you.”
Their grieving mother told reporters, “The anchor of the rope broke and all four fell. Toni – my Antonia – died. She was passionate about mountains, climbing up and down was the joy of her life. She had been to Kilimanjaro, the Rainbow Mountains in Peru… and tragedy struck here at home.” The Busegi Mountains are about two hours from Bucharest. These mountains attract hikers and climbers from all over Europe, but dozens of people die here every year. Every year about 100 people lose their lives on Romania’s peaks.