Croatian rescue teams manage surge of heat‑related incidents

The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) has been conducting numerous rescues in the Dalmatian hinterland despite extreme summer heat. On a recent Tuesday, two HGSS teams rescued a foreign hiker in critical condition from Sv. Ilija above Orebić and transported him by MUP helicopter to Dubrovnik hospital. Earlier, HGSS members from the Kaštela station found a missing, dehydrated man near Kaštel Sućurac and handed him to emergency medical personnel.

At the same time, the Zadar County Emergency Medical Institute reports that the heat wave has driven a sharp increase in interventions, with almost 4,000 calls handled and over 20,000 patients treated since the season began. The institute has deployed additional teams to tourist hotspots such as the island of Vir, Biograd na Moru, and Gračac, and runs mobile ambulances in Biograd, Pag and Nin. The sustained demand is stressing staff and may lead to post‑summer layoffs, but officials say the high level of staffing has helped manage the crisis.