The two tourists, whose names were given as Bryony Smith and Anica Cronje, have safely returned to central Da Nang city and sent their thanks to the search and rescue workers, Su Thanh Hoai, Chairman of the Lac Duong District People’s Committee, said as he informed the press of the New Year incident on January 4.
On the night of January 1, authorities in Lac Duong district received a message from Nguyen Van Giang, 32, who was a friend of the two foreign tourists in Da Nang. He informed the authorities that the women had encountered difficulties and were missing.
Giang said he and his wife became acquainted with the two women in Da Nang and went on a trip to Da Lat.
The pair invited them to climb the mountain but due to physical impairments, he and his wife declined. In the afternoon, the South African woman called Giang to say that they were lost in the forest and could not return to Da Lat for dinner and might have to spend the night in the wilderness. They also said their phone battery was running low.
Giang asked the woman to send her location via phone and managed to contact Lac Duong’s rescue forces.
The district immediately deployed local forces including police officers, rangers, military personnel and firefighters to search for the tourists.
The rescue forces managed to find the two tourists the same night in a state of exhaustion as the temperatures had dropped significantly, while their phones were out of power. The pair was then brought back to Lac Duong township.
Dang Ngoc Hiep, head of the search and rescue authorities of Lac Duong township, said the lesson was that all outdoor adventure trips should be organised and the local authorities should be notified of the plan.
VNA/VNP
