A tourist of German nationality who got lost yesterday in the mountains was rescued around 1:00 am today. A rescue that took around 9 hours and involved 30 workers, namely a team from the São Vicente and Porto Moniz Volunteer Fire Departments, a mountain rescue team from the Madeira Volunteer Fire Department, the Public Security Police and the Forestry Police.
The foreigner, a man around 40 years old, started a route not recommended alone in Ponta Delgada. Around 4 pm, he realized he was lost and alerted Civil Protection.
Various means were mobilized for the location, but the tourist would only be located around 7 pm on a cliff, in an area of difficult access, more than 2 hours from the main road, more precisely on Encosta do Barbosano.
A route of great difficulty for the elements involved, since the ground was wet and the path was high risk.
The German had no injuries, nor did he need medical assistance.
The Commander of the São Vicente and Porto Moniz Volunteer Firefighters lamented this “irresponsible adventure” that put the lives of 30 people at risk.
He praised the work of all the elements involved but highlighted the “professional pride” of forestry master João Tomé, who knows the trails of these mountains very well and was a fundamental help in locating the citizen and for this rescue to be carried out successfully.