Slovak Mountain Rescue Made 559 Callouts This Season — Czechs Rank Third Among Injured Foreigners

Between June and October 2025, Slovakia's Mountain Rescue Service (Horská záchranná služba) carried out 559 callouts to help people in trouble in the mountains. As usual, most incidents occurred in the High Tatras, which accounted for four out of every ten summer rescue operations, the service reports.

Second place for the number of incidents went to Veľká Fatra with 70 callouts, followed by the Western Tatras and Slovak Paradise (Slovenský raj). Notably, three-fifths of all rescue operations took place on marked hiking trails, as well as around mountain huts, saddles and valleys.

Who Gets Into Trouble Most Often

Besides Slovaks themselves, who needed help in 246 cases, the tourists most frequently requiring rescue were from Poland — 138 cases — and from Czechia — 86 cases. This puts Czechs in third place among injured foreigners.

Rescuers most often dealt with people suffering moderate injuries. Nearly a quarter of those affected were in serious or life-threatening condition, and 21 people could not be saved. Of the 559 people involved, 65 were children.

The vast majority of callouts — nearly 60% — involved ordinary hikers. Cyclists and climbers who got into difficulty each accounted for about ten percent.

Rescuers' Advice and Key Reminders

The Veľká Fatra Mountain Rescue Service stresses that before setting out into the mountains, it is essential to let someone know your route — whether a friend or through the HZS app. Without this information, searching for a lost hiker becomes far more difficult, and the chances of a happy outcome drop significantly.

Rescuers advise planning hikes with plenty of spare time, keeping an eye on the weather forecast and sunset times, and never underestimating the difficulty of the chosen route. According to their observations, injuries most often occur during the descent from summits, due to fatigue and exhaustion.

"Admitting that today I'm not up to it, or that a storm is already approaching — that's not a disgrace, it's a sign of real mountain intelligence," the rescuers wrote on their Facebook page.

It's worth remembering that in Slovakia, people who get into trouble are required to pay for the cost of their rescue operation out of their own pocket. That's why tourists are advised to arrange travel insurance in advance that covers mountain rescue services.

The Mountain Rescue Service in Slovakia can be reached at 18 300, as well as through the HZS app or the Czech Záchranka app.

Read also: 9 Best Cycling Routes Around Prague: From the Vltava Embankments to Karlštejn Castle

Source: denik.cz