HGSS calls for better helicopter rescue systems after Velebit operation

The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) conducted a demanding four-hour rescue operation on Tulovi grede, Velebit, after a person experienced serious heart complications. Rescuers had to lower the individual in a stretcher over 100 meters down a cliff using technical climbing methods, followed by a difficult transport across inaccessible terrain to a location where a Medical Emergency Helicopter Service (HEMS) team could take over. The patient was subsequently airlifted to KBC Rijeka.

The incident has prompted HGSS to issue an urgent appeal for the establishment of a comprehensive helicopter rescue system in Croatia. The service highlighted that the operation could have been significantly shorter if they possessed the operational capability to perform winch rescues. They noted a critical distinction between “rescue from the air” and “transport by air,” explaining that current helicopters can only transport rescuers or patients once they have reached a landing site, rather than extracting them directly from inaccessible cliffs.

HGSS emphasized that simply acquiring helicopters with winches is insufficient; a functional system requires integrated infrastructure, coordinated shifts, trained crews, and standardized operating procedures. They stated that the current system is not at the level required for a major tourist destination like Croatia and urged that the safety of the population be made a priority.