Two tourists died and at least four others were injured on Thursday, when a deadly avalanche created by heavy rains struck Monkova dolina, a valley near the village of Ždiar in the Belianske Tatry mountain range.
The victims were two young girls, Slovak media writes. One was Czech, the Czech Foreign Ministry has confirmed.
“Out of nowhere, a terrible downpour came, even though it had been sunny all day,” Ždiar Mayor Pavol Bekeš (independent) told TV Markíza.
The avalanche hit a simple wooden shelter around noon. A group of around 16 tourists had taken refuge under the shelter after the weather suddenly changed.
“They were trapped under the shelter, where the ground and stones slid down,” Bekeš explained to TV Joj.
Despite the high temperatures in recent days, the meteorological office issued storm warnings for most districts of Slovakia on Thursday. It also rained in the Tatras, a popular tourist destination in northern Slovakia.
An emergency situation had to be declared in Ždiar due to the rain. According to the mayor, the river level quickly rose right in front of people’s eyes. Local people were the first to go to the aid of the tourists, but the river and fallen trees made it difficult for them to reach the group at first.
Mountain rescuers, who were gradually deployed to the site using a helicopter, participated in the rescue operation, and two ambulances and two helicopters arrived at the scene.
Among the injured were also Czech tourists, the mayor said.
During the rescue operation, the rescuers received another request for help from a Czech tourist with an injured ankle. He was located in the Široké sedlo area. The injured tourist was airlifted to the mouth of the Monkova dolina, from where he continued on his own.
According to the Tatra National Park Administration, the hiking trail in Monkova dolina, which is located in the area of Thursday’s disaster and leads to Široké sedlo saddle, is closed until further notice due to the landslide.
“The green-marked trail is closed until further notice,” the national park said on social media.
The hiking trail in Monkova dolina (red mark) leading from Hotel Magura to Kopské sedlo saddle, and in the Dolina bieleho potoka valley (green mark) from Strednica to the crossroads Monkova dolina – pod Ptošovskými turňami, is closed as well due to significant damage from the storm, mountain rescuers said.
The storm warning remains in effect for Friday and Saturday. It applies to all regions except the Košice Region.
Heat and storm warnings issued in Slovakia for Thursday. (source: SHMÚ/The Slovak Spectator)
