Romania - George Smyth, 18,’called emergency services, saying he was exhausted & suffering from hypothermia’ snowy mountains of Romania, 23 Nov 2025

[Hexe]

Teen Missing Near Dracula’s Castle for 9 Days After Going on Hike and Making Emergency Call for Hypothermia and Exhaustion

A British teenager has been missing for nearly 10 days after going on a solo hike near Dracula's Castle in Romania on Nov. 23.

people.com

[…]
Sebastian Marinescu, director of Salvamont Brasov, told local media, per The Times, “The backpack had quite a lot of equipment in it — a sleeping bag, a tent. My colleagues even found food all around. So we don’t understand what happened and where he could have gone.”

Considering George decided to go to Romania pretty unexpectedly and without telling anyone, I would not be surprised if he suffered the psychosis of some sort.

 

[Hexe]

Then when we add in he could have been suffering from hypothermia and mentally doing things that make no sense, it is just reckless for them to ask him to go somewhere else.

Quotes from here:

He said George's location was in a "very isolated and hard-to-access mountain area" and the conditions "were extremely severe with strong winds, heavy snowfall and dense fog".

George was told to turn back along the same route and keep moving to make sure he does not fall asleep.

Falling asleep would equal dying in these circumstances. Staying put had good chances to kill him. Telling him to walk back was more reasonable, IMO.

Another interesting tidbit from the same text:

Mr Marinescu said: "We still cannot fully understand why he continued forward, especially since darkness sets in around 17:00 at this time of year."

Weird indeed, the kid had a full camping gear with him.

 

[LookingForClues]

I imagine at this point, there's no chance he's survived since they found his backpack with anything he could use while hunkered down. Even if he wore layers beneath his shell jacket, such as a puffy, fleece and long underwear, he would need a change of dry clothes at some point (at least dry gloves and hat, but a dry baselayer would help tremendously too).

The search team apparently sent him a map and directions to head towards safety. I suspect he indicated he was capable of hiking down to meet them. They would have asked him this. He was above treeline and they were trying to get him off the high alpine where he had no protection from the storm. It takes time to assemble a search team, and then to reach the person calling for help. Add the storm to the mix, and it takes even longer. I'm not surprised they told him to move if he said he was able to.

I wonder how long after the call he stayed in place before abandoning his gear and food, and also his phone with the map. Perhaps he thought he was better off going fast and light, but that doesn't explain leaving his phone. Maybe he dropped his phone and couldn't find it in the snow and stormy weather. Something like that would create panic and take some time he might not have had given he was already hypothermic and exhausted. I think he was either worse off than he thought when he was speaking to rescuers, or something happened with his gear/phone that caused him to lose some much-needed time to reach safety.

(My opinion is based on my husband's experience doing mountain search and rescue.)

 

[KBlackRabbit]

Teen Missing Near Dracula’s Castle for 9 Days After Going on Hike and Making Emergency Call for Hypothermia and Exhaustion

A British teenager has been missing for nearly 10 days after going on a solo hike near Dracula's Castle in Romania on Nov. 23.

people.com

[…]
Sebastian Marinescu, director of Salvamont Brasov, told local media, per The Times, “The backpack had quite a lot of equipment in it — a sleeping bag, a tent. My colleagues even found food all around. So we don’t understand what happened and where he could have gone.”

Hypothermia, later stages include paradoxical undressing. He may have shed his backpack as part of this. When they find him he may have taken off some of his clothes.

 

[BreakingNews]

Quotes from here:



Falling asleep would equal dying in these circumstances. Staying put had good chances to kill him. Telling him to walk back was more reasonable, IMO.

Another interesting tidbit from the same text:



Weird indeed, the kid had a full camping gear with him.

However that jacket did not look like it would keep him warm.

 

[LookingForClues]

However that jacket did not look like it would keep him warm.

If it was worn layered over a puffy, fleece, baselayers, etc., it would be. We have no idea what he was wearing underneath though.

 

[Hexe]

However that jacket did not look like it would keep him warm.

If he layered up, set the camp before dark and got some hot food he would up significantly his chances of survival.

 

[iulia]

Latest post from Salvamont Brasov, translated with Google:

Mountain rescuers climbed the Bucegi Mountains last night and stayed overnight at the Mălăiești Chalet, in order to be able to intervene from the early hours of the morning. A team of 17 mountain rescuers from the Brașov County Mountain Rescue Service resumed the search in the Valea Țigănești area this morning, given that the activity is made more difficult by the layer of fresh snow. In parallel, together with the family, they are trying to reconstruct the route taken by George as accurately as possible. Although the weather conditions have been difficult in recent days, the rescuers have decided to make a new effort to continue the search operations.

Contrary to some information circulating online, so far there is no data indicating that the missing person intended to travel to Bran Castle. Also, given that the victim reported feeling cold and possibly developing hypothermia, the mountain rescuers recommended that he continue on the tourist route he was on, since, according to the GPS coordinates, he was in the right direction to Cabana Mălăiești. The recommendation was aimed at both reducing the time until meeting the intervention teams and maintaining moderate movement, essential for generating heat and delaying the onset of severe hypothermia. Staying in conditions of blizzard, fog and low temperatures would have accelerated the loss of body heat.

At the same time, the use of technical resources depends on specific operating conditions. On the night of the incident and the following morning, aerial equipment and drones could not be used due to dense fog and strong winds, and it was also necessary for all equipment to be transported on foot to the intervention area.

At this time, the search operation is ongoing.

https://www.facebook.com/SalvamontBrasov/posts/pfbid07FVN15q8nDtZqUp76dzaFUieyN2a9muRPBTAgf3zqQarnPhaBsXjfSW9hUccLtfWl

 

[iulia]

More details in this article in the Romanian press (can only quote 120 characters and it’s hard to choose from all the information there):

Salvamontișii au pornit din nou în căutarea britanicului dispărut în Bucegi: „Avea un început de hipotermie”

George Smyth, tânărul britanic dispărut în Munții Bucegi în urmă cu aproape 2 săptămâni, este căutat în continuare. Șeful Salvamont Brașov, Sebastian Marinescu, a declarat joi, la Digi24, că acesta ar fi plecat din Poiana Brașov și că ar fi vrut să...

www-digi24-ro.translate.goog

“From the information we have, we believe that he passed by the Mălăești chalet around 9:00. He did not go inside, although it was already dark.”

 

[LookingForClues]

I can't imagine why he didn’t stop at the chalet since it was already dark. Did he really expect to set up a tent in the dark during a storm? That terrain looks very difficult, you can tell the searchers are not having an easy go of it. I wonder if he had hiked this area before, or if he was completely unfamiliar with it.

It's also interesting that there's no indication he planned to go to Bran Castle. Where did that information originally come from? Was it just a guess, based on where he was?

 

[Hexe]

“From the information we have, we believe that he passed by the Mălăești chalet around 9:00. He did not go inside, although it was already dark.”

He passed the chalet at around 9 pm? The sunset that day was at 4:39 pm. Why was George wandering for four and a half hour in the dark?

 

[iulia]

He passed the chalet at around 9 pm? The sunset that day was at 4:39 pm. Why was George wandering for four and a half hour in the dark?

This is what confuses me the most, why did he keep going when it was already dark outside. Did he not see the chalet because of the fog? Did he want to reach the summit and enjoy the sunrise from the Omu peak? But with fog and a snow storm he couldn’t see anything..

I wanted to mention that a word in the article I linked is not translated properly and I think it was an important one. The translation says he had a “bottle” in his backpack, but the word in Romanian is “butelie” which is normally used for a gas cylinder. I am no hiking girl, so I don’t know what that’s supposed to be used for, for cooking or for heat? Anyway, I suppose that cylinder must have weighed a bit, and along with his other belongings, it must have made his backpack very heavy. This explains, to me, why he ditched his backpack, it was too heavy and he was already exhausted. The rescuers reached the location he called from in 50 minutes, and, if everything went well, they would have met along the way in about half an hour. But it went so terribly wrong..

 

[Hexe]

I wanted to mention that a word in the article I linked is not translated properly and I think it was an important one. The translation says he had a “bottle” in his backpack, but the word in Romanian is “butelie” which is normally used for a gas cylinder. I am no hiking girl, so I don’t know what that’s supposed to be used for, for cooking or for heat?

Cooking. Have seen mentioned he had primus, it might have been a gas one.

Anyway, I suppose that cylinder must have weighed a bit, and along with his other belongings, it must have made his backpack very heavy. This explains, to me, why he ditched his backpack, it was too heavy and he was already exhausted.

Frim what I read he did not just shed his backpack, the searchers mentioned the food and other items being strewn around.

Did he want to reach the summit and enjoy the sunrise from the Omu peak?

According to Salvamont George's target was Omu, indeed, which makes his route less erratic though it seems he took wrong turn at the Malaiesti Chalet. But his behaviour seems to be completely erratic, I mean walking at night, during extremely bad weather, that's pure insanity.

 

[LookingForClues]

I'm guessing he had one of the lightweight backcountry camping stoves. The cannisters are light too. There are many styles at the Primus website, but to give you an idea here is one image...it weighs 460 grams (about 16 ounces).

BACKPACKING STOVES

Primus backpacking stoves are perfect for excursions in the forest as well as on the mountain. These light gas stoves makes the cooking outside easy.

primus.us

 

[iulia]

There are many styles at the Primus website, but to give you an idea here is one image...it weighs 460 grams (about 16 ounces).

RSBM

Oh, wow, I had no idea they are so light. Makes sense, he was not a novice when it comes to hiking, which is more than I can say about myself.

 

[LookingForClues]

Frim what I read he did not just shed his backpack, the searchers mentioned the food and other items being strewn around.

snipped for focus...

That really makes me think he was looking for something -- something he lost, or thought he lost, or forgot to pack -- but he needed it. Maybe his phone? Maybe some dry clothing?

 

[iulia]

Latest post from Salvamont:

"This evening, the search operations were suspended again. Unfortunately, no objects belonging to George were identified today, nor were any other clues suggesting a possible place where he could have taken shelter. Mountain rescuers from the Brașov County Mountain Rescue Service, from Brașov, Râșnov, Predeal and Victoria, have covered all the accessible areas in safe conditions, but without results that would allow the search to continue.
The weather conditions remain extremely difficult. The snow layer is unstable, and assessments indicate a level 4 avalanche risk, which makes it impossible to carry out operations within parameters that do not endanger the lives of the mountain rescuers. In several sectors of the valley, the snow exceeds two meters, an aspect also visible in the photo materials transmitted from the field. Under these conditions, digging and moving in exposed areas would represent an unacceptable risk for the teams involved in the intervention.
We would like to emphasize with all clarity and responsibility that this case is not abandoned. Contrary to some rumors that have appeared online, Salvamont Brașov never abandons an operation and does not give up on any missing person, regardless of nationality or how the accident occurred. Also, all actions are treated with the same seriousness and all necessary resources are allocated. The suspension is temporary due to the major danger generated by the current weather conditions. Once the weather stabilizes and the snow cover is considerably reduced, the searches will resume without delay. During the winter, patrol activities are a common practice, and they will also continue in this area of interest, but only when there are no risks for the rescuers. In the event that new information emerges, if George's phone is located or if conclusive elements are identified, we will intervene immediately and move to the exact coordinates to resume the searches. At this time, it is impossible to remove and dig all the snow from Valea Țigănești.
Our thoughts go out to George's family, who are going through a period of pain that is difficult to put into words. We are in constant contact with them, we understand their suffering and we convey our full compassion to them. We would have liked to have been able to continue longer today, but the battle with the weather and the mountain imposes limits that we cannot exceed without exposing other lives to real danger. We remain involved and ready to resume operations as soon as conditions allow."

https://www.facebook.com/SalvamontBrasov/posts/pfbid02EDZpLy6C9zQ9773QzrhxqNuZoqzdVUAio88c5iBwdLV2vnXgWeoF3yYUFY3sboyDl