Polish mountaineers Wojciech Witkowski (48 years old) and Dariusz Butkiewicz (47), who had set out from Kavrun Plateau in the Çamlıhemşin district of Rize province to summit the Kaçkar Mountains, lost their way due to sudden snowfall and a blizzard. The climbers sent a video to their families, calling for help, and a search was launched in the area. Teams of local guides, along with AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency), Gendarmerie, and ÇAKUT teams, struggled strenuously up the steep, snow-covered slopes to reach the climbers' location. After intense efforts, the climbers were finally reached safely. Witkowski and Butkiewicz were brought back to the district center and are reported to be in good condition.
Kavrun Association President Hüseyin Şahin said, "Our gendarmerie and ÇAKUT teams searched the challenging mountains until late into the night and reached the climbers. We were all delighted that they were found safe and sound. We thank the entire district gendarmerie, our search and rescue teams, and Sezer Karagöz, one of our ÇAKUT team members, for his guidance."
