Rescued British hiker billed €14,225 for ignoring rockslide signs in Dolomites
The man, aged 60, had to be rescued after venturing to the Ferrata Berti, a rocky mountain path at an altitude of 2,500 metres (8,200ft) in the San Vito di Cadore area of the northern Italian peaks where dozens of paths were closed last week because of the high risk of landslides.
Nicola Cherubin, the chief of the alpine rescue service in San Vito di Cadore, said the man, who has not been named, set off from the Passo Tre Croci, near Cortina d'Ampezzo in Belluno province, on Thursday morning and made his way to the Ferrata Berti, bypassing barriers and ignoring the closure sign, written in English and Italian, at the start of the path and others urging hikers to turn back.
He sounded the alarm at about 3.30pm on Thursday after becoming distressed by falling rocks.
'He said he wasn't aware that the path was closed and didn't see the signs,' Cherubin said, adding that the rescue operation involved the use of two helicopters – because of poor weather conditions – as well as several staff.
Cherubin said the man was lucky to be alive, although his venture into the mountains – and Brexit – landed him with a bill of €14,225, of which €11,160 was to cover the cost of the 93-minute helicopter rescue.
A few days earlier, two Belgian hikers were rescued in similar conditions but they received a fraction of the bill owing to Belgium being a member of the European Union.
Giuseppe Dal Ben, the commissioner of the Ulss 1 health authority in the Dolomites, urged tourists 'to approach the mountains with respect and caution'.
'What happened [with the British hiker] warrants some reflection,' he told the local media. 'Helicopters are essential for time-dependent [rescue] operations in harsh environments. Precisely for this reason, it is important that they are not used as taxis, endangering not only those who are providing the assistance but those who actually need it.'
Sign up to Headlines Europe
A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day
after newsletter promotion
Rockfalls occur regularly in the Dolomites, but there has been a significant rise in their number within the past two months, driven by extreme heat and weather events intensified by the climate crisis.
Erosion and rockfalls are on the rise across the Alps. In late June 2025, Mont Blanc experienced a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures remaining above zero for an extended period at high altitudes, including the summit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
British tourist who ignored warnings fined £12,000 after rescue in Italy
The 60-yer-old man attempted to traverse the the Via Ferrata Berti near San Vito di Cadore in northeast Italy, despite warnings from authorities about this mountain path A British man has been fined more than £12,000 after failing to heed signs a mountain path was closed in Italy due to landslides. The 60-year-old Brit called the alpine rescue service to inform officials rocks were falling from above as he attempted to traverse the Via Ferrata Berti, a mountain path partially supported by metal ropes and stairs. A helicopter was deployed from nearby San Vito di Cadore in northeast Italy to rescue the tourist, who has not been named. The man, who was not injured, had reached an altitude of 2,400 metres and was "right in the middle of the landslide" when he was freed on Thursday afternoon. The rescue comes following a warning to Brit tourists who are planning all-inclusive holidays to Spain. Nicola Cherubin, head of the rescue service, said the man had told her team he did not see the warning signs. He has since been charged €14,225 (£12,300), with €11,160 of that covering the helicopter rescue, according to The Guardian. "Rocks have been falling continually in that area for the past two months. With these landslides, it is not secure. He was really afraid," Ms Cherubin told the Daily Telegraph. Signs in English on the trail said the route was closed "due to risk of collapse" and ordered people not to "go beyond this warning". The rescue service said the Ferrata Berti was closed because of "continuous rock discharge from the Croda Marcora landslide". But in July, two Belgian hikers were rescued from the same trail. They, though, have not been charged the same fee from the volunteer rescue service because Belgium is part of the European Union. The UK formally left this on January 31, 2020, following the Brexit vote several years prior - and now half of Brits want another referendum, a survey says. The mountain rescue service told The Times the British man was charged by the regional health service of Veneto. A spokesman said: "If someone calls because they are tired or stuck because they find themselves in a place where they shouldn't be, or if they are unharmed with no health issue, they have to pay. If you are from outside the EU without insurance, you have to pay more." It is unclear where exactly in the UK the tourist is from. Rescuers told the hiker to stay put while they attempted to navigate cloud cover. One helicopter was dispatched before it was called elsewhere. Another arrived two hours after the hiker's call, it is reported today.
The Guardian
17 hours ago
- The Guardian
Rescued British hiker billed €14,225 for ignoring rockslide signs in Dolomites
A British hiker has been charged more than €14,000 (£12,000) by the Italian mountain rescue service after ignoring danger warnings in the Dolomites. The man, aged 60, had to be rescued after venturing to the Ferrata Berti, a rocky mountain path at an altitude of 2,500 metres (8,200ft) in the San Vito di Cadore area of the northern Italian peaks where dozens of paths were closed last week because of the high risk of landslides. Nicola Cherubin, the chief of the alpine rescue service in San Vito di Cadore, said the man, who has not been named, set off from the Passo Tre Croci, near Cortina d'Ampezzo in Belluno province, on Thursday morning and made his way to the Ferrata Berti, bypassing barriers and ignoring the closure sign, written in English and Italian, at the start of the path and others urging hikers to turn back. He sounded the alarm at about 3.30pm on Thursday after becoming distressed by falling rocks. 'He said he wasn't aware that the path was closed and didn't see the signs,' Cherubin said, adding that the rescue operation involved the use of two helicopters – because of poor weather conditions – as well as several staff. Cherubin said the man was lucky to be alive, although his venture into the mountains – and Brexit – landed him with a bill of €14,225, of which €11,160 was to cover the cost of the 93-minute helicopter rescue. A few days earlier, two Belgian hikers were rescued in similar conditions but they received a fraction of the bill owing to Belgium being a member of the European Union. Giuseppe Dal Ben, the commissioner of the Ulss 1 health authority in the Dolomites, urged tourists 'to approach the mountains with respect and caution'. 'What happened [with the British hiker] warrants some reflection,' he told the local media. 'Helicopters are essential for time-dependent [rescue] operations in harsh environments. Precisely for this reason, it is important that they are not used as taxis, endangering not only those who are providing the assistance but those who actually need it.' Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion Rockfalls occur regularly in the Dolomites, but there has been a significant rise in their number within the past two months, driven by extreme heat and weather events intensified by the climate crisis. Erosion and rockfalls are on the rise across the Alps. In late June 2025, Mont Blanc experienced a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures remaining above zero for an extended period at high altitudes, including the summit.
The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Brit boy, 15, sneaks onto flight to ITALY after getting separated from parents while flying home to UK after Spain hols
A Brit teenage snuck onto a flight to Italy after getting separated from his parents who were flying back to the UK from Spain. The panicked couple sounded the alarm after losing sight of the 15-year-old at Menorca Airport, ahead of their scheduled Tui flight back to London Stansted. 1 Do you know anything about the teenager who boarded the wrong flight? Email Police checked CCTV cameras and discovered the boy had managed to get past security and board a flight around heading to Milan Malpensa Airport. His mum jumped onto a later flight to Italy and was due to be reunited with her son today. Spanish police confirmed today they had helped locate the youngster after he became separated from his mum and dad. A source familiar with the extraordinary sequence said: 'They were due to catch Tui flight BY5107 back to London Stansted Airport together at 9.25 this morning but became separated. 'The boy's parents ended up reporting him missing and that led to police intervention.' A spokesman for the National Police in Majorca said: 'Officers checked cameras in the departures area and saw the teenager had managed to get onto a flight to Milan. 'The airport had already activated its missing child alert system but it was deactivated after it was confirmed the lad was on his way to Italy.' It was not immediately clear this afternoon how the youngster, who according to local reports may suffer from autism, managed to board EasyJet flight U23762. Despite a rigorous boarding pass check protocol, he managed to get onto the plane which departed at 9.29am on Monday morning without a valid ticket. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
