On December 21, while the final preparations for the concert were taking place on stage of Theater Hall, some spectators were caving towards the stage, a DINPI adventure tour for non-caver enthusiasts was climbing in direction to the surface. Towards the end of the tour, during a climb, one of the hikers got injured, his shoulder was dislocated. This type of injury is normally very painful and makes it impossible to leave the cave without help safely.
In this case, for the visitor in trouble, this type of injury was not the first case, so he had moderate pain, no other trauma, he was in good general condition, when the thinking of how to rescue him began. They didn't have to go far, because there were several rescuers present in the cave among the audience and the members of the Speleo Band, so we rushed to the aid of the injured man in the guise of the Cave Rescue Service, we were able to carry out one of the fastest evacuations in our history.
Given the good condition of the injured man, the proximity of the exit, and the easy cave terrain, we developed an assisted rescue plan that worked even with a limited number of rescue resources.
After the examinations, we fixed the shoulder of the injured Polish hiker, so he could walk towards the exit without a stretcher, more or less on his own feet. In the more exposed places, he moved outwards towards the cave entrance, relying (sometimes literally) on the cave rescuers present. We built a rope belay on the Bastion ladder in front of the entrance, and a rescuer accompanied him through the few meters to the surface. After the sudden and successful rescue, the cave rescuers returned to the Theater Hall, and the concert could begin, followed by the Christmas party in the pub on the surface. We wish the injured Polish hiker a quick recovery.
Photo: Ágnes Berentés