An 18-year-old has been unaccounted for during a solo excursion in Romania for over a week.
George Smyth embarked on a solitary journey in the Bucegi Mountains, located in the Transylvania region near the famed Bran Castle, often referred to as ‘Dracula’s Castle’.
The young man from the UK reached out to mountain rescue services for assistance on November 23.
His mother, Jo, has traveled to Transylvania, the area where her son was hiking. She mentioned that George left his university for a solo hiking trip without notifying his family.
Romanian authorities have initiated a search, though adverse weather conditions have complicated efforts since George’s disappearance.
In a call for help to mountain rescue services, George conveyed urgent concerns to the authorities.
A student at the University of Bristol, George informed rescuers about his exhaustion and hypothermia, seeking support from the mountain rescue team.
Jo has provided updates to local media, such as Metro, regarding the ongoing search and discoveries since George went missing.
She stated: “His phone last had signal in a remote mountain area. He made a distressing call to 112 [Romania’s emergency line] on Sunday evening. The teams found his backpack in the same place from where he called for help within a few hours.”
Jo described her son as ‘a sporty and strong young man,’ noting that he has ‘traveled a lot with us and friends,’ as reported by The Times.
The findings in George’s backpack suggest he was well-prepared for hiking, containing necessary gear and food.
Sebastian Marinescu, director of Salvamont Brasov, spoke to local news outlets: “The backpack had quite a lot of equipment in it – a sleeping bag, a tent. My colleagues even found food all around.”
He continued: “So we don’t understand what happened and where he could have gone.”
Authorities released a photo of George on November 28 to aid in the search.
They detailed that when last seen, George was wearing the jacket depicted in the photo.
Zărnești Local Public Mountain Rescue Service described ‘two intense days’ dedicated to searching for ‘the young Englishman who went missing in Valea lezigăne seti’.
They later mentioned that the search had been postponed due to the weather, stating: “Unfortunately, at the moment, the weather forecast for the next few days is an unfavorable one to resolve this case.”