On the 13th of August, 2022, a small group took part in am adventure tour in in the Mátyás-hegyi-cave in Budapest. The company made an approximately 2.5-hour long trip in a natural cave (not in a show cave built with concrete paths) with professional guidance of a cave tour guide.
In this part of the cave, you have to crawl and climb, in many places through narrower passages, in other places through small squeezes or on ledges. No caving experiences are required to participate in the tour.
Shortly after midday, at one of the climb, at the so-called "BETE leap-crossing" (BETE átlépő), a 28-year-old woman slipped and fell on her back. She complained that her pelvis was hurting. Due to the seriousness of the accident and the increasing pain, the tour guide requested the help of the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service (BMSz).
The cave rescue service sent an alert (by SMS) to its members at 12:40 p.m. The cave rescuers in and around Budapest were summoned at the scene.
The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service arrived at the scene with sufficient rescue equipment. A group of doctors was the first to go down to the cave to treat the injured.
By that time, the injured person was already given first aid under the guidance of the tour guide: she was secured and protected against cold with insulation blankets (the temperature in the cave is 12 degrees Celsius).
The doctors of the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service attended the injured person, after stabilisation and administered pain relief, she was secured in a special cave rescue stretcher. The transport to the surface started.
On the way out, 3 smaller vertical climbs of a few meters have to be negotiated, as well as numerous winding passages that in some places are very narrow.
Near the entrance, counterbalance rope technique was used to lift the injured person up in a nearly 4-story high vertical shaft.
At 4:55 p.m., the injured person was handed over to the Csillaghegy ambulance unit of the National Ambulance Service, who transported her to the Emergency Department of the Honvéd hospital.
18 cave rescuers, 3 doctors and, in addition to the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service, members of the Bakony Cave Rescue Service took part in the rescue. All of us wish the injured a fast recovery.
F.A.Q:
At what depth did the accident occur? 45 meters deep, which corresponds to a depth to a 15-storey building.
How far from the entrance did the accident occur? It is barely 70 meters in a strait line, but in the winding passages it is actually more than 300 meters, where you have to crawl and climb most of the time instead of walking. Click here for the map, see where the "BETE hall" is located, the accident happened near it.
Normally, how long does it take to get out of from the place of the accident on your own? In case of a not experienced caver approximately half an hour.
What other interesting fact can be known about the cave? The Mátyás-hegyi cave is part of Hungary’s longest cave, the Pál-Völgyi cave system. The Mátyás-hegyi-cave is a popular tour destination for cavers and those familiar with caving, about 8,000 people take part in an open, tour every year. The highly protected cave can only be visited in an organized manner, with a qualified tour guide and with the permission of the Danube-Ipoly National Park. Click here or here for more information!
When was the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service established? The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service has existed since 1961, and since then it helped nearly 600 people. You can read more about the history of BMSz by clicking here.
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