# Romanian mountain rescue operations > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/may-2026-sees-multiple-international-search-operations-for-missing-travelers > Updated: 2026-09-04T19:42:50.000Z. Sources: 166. Developments: 23. Romania’s mountain-rescue services remained highly active through the spring and summer of 2026. In early May, a three-day search in the Sebeșu de Jos area of Sibiu County rescued five-year-old Alexandru Zerestea after he vanished while his father repaired a fence; a parallel operation located another five-year-old boy named Alexandru after two nights in the forest, with both children treated for dehydration, tick bites and mild pneumonia. A later three-day effort in the Transylvanian mountains found a third five-year-old, Alex, severely chilled but alive, prompting nationwide attention. In late May, a 30-year-old Ukrainian hiker was air-lifted from the remote Maramureș Mountains after a week lost, illustrating coordinated action between Salvamont, border police and POA Jibou helicopter crews. The same period saw SMURD helicopters assist injured tourists in Piatra Craiului and the Semenic range, and a teenage boy rescued from Lake Chitila after diving to aid a friend. Early June, border police rescued a Ukrainian man who encountered a bear while attempting an illegal crossing of the Maramureș frontier. Throughout June and July, operations expanded to include rescuing a Polish tourist in the Custura Sărății mountains, responding to a cardiac episode in Satu Mare, and assisting a lost man in Neamț. In the Maramureș Mountains, rescuers and border police recovered four Ukrainian citizens lost in flooded terrain. Tragic incidents occurred in the Bucegi Mountains, including the death of a 64-year-old man near Vârful Caraiman and a high-profile accident on the Albișoara Brânei route where a safety-rope anchor failure killed 36-year-old Antonia Mihăilescu and injured three others. Salvamont also managed technical failures, such as a cable-car entrapment in the Făgăraș Mountains, and addressed various medical emergencies including mushroom poisoning and quad accidents. In August, the Făgăraș Mountains saw a series of intensive operations involving Salvamont Argeș and Sibiu teams. ## Claims - Two Indian crew members are missing after jumping into the Black Sea fearing a drone attack. (corroborated by 9 sources) - Two other Indian crew members on the same vessel have been confirmed safe. (corroborated by 8 sources) - India’s embassy in Ukraine is monitoring the situation and is in contact with Romanian authorities. (corroborated by 8 sources) - The vessel involved is the cargo ship AGN Ragnar (also referred to as MG AGN Ragnar) flying the flag of Palau. (corroborated by 7 sources) - Romanian SAR Apollo and a Border Police boat were dispatched to search for the missing crew near Sulina. (corroborated by 7 sources) - The search operation is coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) of the Romanian Naval Authority. (corroborated by 7 sources) - The ship was en route from Odesa, Ukraine, to the port of Galaţi, Romania. (corroborated by 5 sources) - The incident follows a Romanian F‑16 downing of a suspected drone near Sulina, the third such event in 48 hours. (corroborated by 3 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-04: Salvamont Argeș rescues six exhausted tourists in Făgăraș Mountains Salvamont Argeș rescued six exhausted foreign tourists on the Blue Cross trail in the Făgăraș Mountains after they suffered from dizziness and vomiting. 7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/salvamont-arge-rescues-six-exhausted-tourists-in-fgra-mountains ### 2026-08-20: Făgăraș Mountains: Rescue operation for injured 25-year-old hiker A 25-year-old hiker was rescued in the Făgăraș Mountains near Arpașul Mare after suffering a suspected leg injury while traveling alone. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/fgra-mountains-rescue-operation-for-injured-25-year-old-hiker ### 2026-08-11: Făgăraș Mountains rescue operations involve helicopter evacuations Mountain rescue teams conducted several emergency operations in the Făgăraș Mountains, including helicopter evacuations of a 17-year-old found unconscious and two young men with medical injuries. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/fgra-mountains-rescue-operations-involve-helicopter-evacuations ### 2026-08-02: Romanian mountain rescue teams air‑evacuate injured tourists and youths in the Făgăraș and Piatra Craiului mountains Romanian mountain rescue units air‑evacuated injured tourists and youths in the Făgăraș and Piatra Craiului ranges, while also retrieving a fatality, using SMURD helicopters. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/romanian-mountain-rescue-teams-airevacuate-injured-tourists-and-youths-in-the-fgra-and-piatra-craiul ### 2026-07-25: Romanian mountain rescuers conduct multiple emergency missions amid surge in calls Romanian mountain rescue teams handled multiple emergencies, saving 26 people and maintaining trails, after a surge of 23 calls and three critical missions on 25 July 2026. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/romanian-mountain-rescuers-conduct-multiple-emergency-missions-amid-surge-in-calls ### 2026-07-18: Romanian rescue teams free stranded tourists and aid injured hikers Rescue crews from Salvamont freed 18 tourists after a Bâlea cable‑car fault and carried out several mountain rescues, including a German hiker in Făgăraș, a foreign tourist on Iezerul Caprei, an injured teen in 12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/blea-cable-car-fault-strands-tourists-in-romanian-alps ### 2026-07-18: Tourist Death in Romania's Bucegi Mountains Climbing Accident Tourist Antonia Mihăilescu died after a rope anchor failed, causing a 12‑metre fall on Romania’s Bucegi Mountains on July 11; three men were injured, a large rescue was mounted and a manslaughter investigation 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tourist-death-in-romanias-bucegi-mountains-climbing-accident ### 2026-07-15: 64-year-old Bucharest man dies near Vârful Caraiman in Romania A 64-year-old Bucharest man died of cardiac arrest near Vârful Caraiman in the Bucegi Mountains; rescue teams failed to revive him, and an investigation is underway. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/64-year-old-bucharest-man-dies-near-vrful-caraiman-in-romania ### 2026-07-11: One dead, three injured as four alpinists fall in Bucegi Mountains Four alpinists fell 10‑15 m in Bucegi’s Valea Albișoarei after a rope broke; 36‑year‑old dentist Antonia died, three men injured and taken to hospitals; rescue used multiple helicopters and police opened a case 15 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/buteni-alpine-accident-injures-four-rescue-teams-deploy-helicopters ### 2026-07-08: Four Ukrainian Citizens Rescued from Romania's Maramureș Mountains Rescuers and Romanian border police rescued four Ukrainian citizens lost in the Maramureș Mountains after an eight‑hour search, all found alive and taken into custody. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/four-ukrainian-citizens-rescued-from-romanias-maramure-mountains ### 2026-07-05: Quad accident in Romania's Kelemen Mountains prompts rescue response A quad rider was injured in Romania's Kelemen Mountains; mountain rescue, fire department SMURD and a helicopter responded to transport the victim to hospital. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/quad-accident-in-romanias-kelemen-mountains-prompts-rescue-response ### 2026-07-05: Salvamont Romania records multiple mountain rescues, two deaths in recent week Romanian mountain rescue service Salvamont reported several rescues this week, moving its Retezat base, aiding tourists in Cheile Râmețului and Bucegi, and noting two fatalities after 15 emergency calls. 9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/romanian-mountain-rescue-services-record-two-deaths-after-15-emergency-calls ### 2026-06-25: Romanian emergency services rescue cardiac patient and injured hiker Romanian emergency crews stabilized a 54‑year‑old cardiac patient in Satu Mare and air‑lifted him to Baia Mare, while a 59‑year‑old man injured in a Neamț forest was rescued after three hours and taken to Târgu 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/romanian-emergency-services-rescue-cardiac-patient-and-injured-hiker ### 2026-06-21: Polish tourist rescued in Romania's Custura Sărății mountains A 20‑year‑old Polish hiker was rescued after exhaustion in Romania's Custura Sărății mountains, with mountain police and rescuers escorting him to safety. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/polish-tourist-rescued-in-romanias-custura-srii-mountains ### 2026-06-15: Romanian emergency services conduct over 180 rescues in Mureș and Timiș counties Romanian rescue teams logged 17 mountain interventions (including one death) and 166 emergency missions in Timiș over 48 hours, rescuing dozens and issuing eight RO‑ALERT warnings. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/romanian-emergency-services-conduct-over-180-rescues-in-mure-and-timi-counties ### 2026-06-01: Ukrainian man rescued after bear encounter while attempting illegal crossing into Romania A Ukrainian man trying to cross into Romania in the Maramureș mountains climbed a tree to escape a bear and was rescued by border police; he was later fined for illegal crossing. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ukrainian-man-rescued-after-bear-encounter-while-attempting-illegal-crossing-into-romania ### 2026-05-31: Romanian rescue teams assist injured tourists in Piatra Craiului and Semenic mountains SMURD helicopters rescued a injured climber and a tourist in Piatra Craiului despite strong winds, while mountain gendarmes and SMURD aided an Austrian motorcyclist wounded in the Semenic Mountains. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/romanian-rescue-teams-assist-injured-tourists-in-piatra-craiului-and-semenic-mountains ### 2026-05-24: Ukrainian Hiker Rescued After Week Lost in Romania's Maramureș Mountains A 30‑year‑old Ukrainian man lost for over a week in Romania’s Maramureș Mountains was rescued by a coordinated effort of mountain rescue, border police and a POA Jibou helicopter, then taken to hospital. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ukrainian-hiker-rescued-after-week-lost-in-romanias-maramure-mountains ### 2026-05-19: Romanian rescue finds 5‑year‑old boy lost three days in bear‑filled forest A 5‑year‑old Romanian boy lost for three days in a bear‑laden forest was rescued alive after a massive search. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/romanian-rescue-finds-5yearold-boy-lost-three-days-in-bearfilled-forest ### 2026-05-18: 5-Year-Old Alexandru Rescued After Two Days Lost in Sibiu Forest 5‑year‑old Alexandru, missing for 40 hours in a Sibiu forest, was rescued, treated for mild pneumonia and tick bites, and has been discharged home. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/5-year-old-alexandru-rescued-after-two-days-lost-in-sibiu-forest ### 2026-05-15: Romanian boy Alexandru rescued after two nights lost in Sibiu forest A 5‑year‑old Romanian boy, Alexandru, was rescued after two nights alone in a Sibiu forest and is now stable in hospital. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/romanian-boy-alexandru-rescued-after-two-nights-lost-in-sibiu-forest ### 2026-05-13: Rescue of teenage boy after he dived into Lake Chitila to save friend Teenage boy dived into Lake Chitila to save a friend, was rescued by divers and airlifted to a Bucharest hospital. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/rescue-of-teenage-boy-after-he-dived-into-lake-chitila-to-save-friend ### 2026-05-12: Romanian boy Alexandru Zerestea rescued after three‑day search A 5‑year‑old boy missing for three days in Sibiu, Romania, was rescued alive after a massive search involving police, volunteers and a helicopter. 55 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/5-year-old-boy-missing-in-sibiu-as-authorities-launch-large-scale-search --- Cite as: Romanian mountain rescue operations. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/may-2026-sees-multiple-international-search-operations-for-missing-travelers