The accident occurred on Saturday at the Slap Savica in the Slovenian region of Bohinjsko Brezje, in which a 44-year-old man died and a child was seriously injured. Both fell into a crevice, with the man dying at the scene, while the child was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Ljubljana.
The police in Kranj reported that authorities were informed of the accident at the Slap Savica in the municipality of Bohinjsko Brezje around 18:00 on Saturday. According to available information, a family of four, foreign nationals, had visited the waterfall and, on their return, stopped at a rest area with tables and benches. The seven-year-old child then strayed, and their cries were heard shortly after. The 44-year-old man, immediately setting off in the direction of the scream, fell into the crevice.
During the rescue operation, the man was found in the bed of the Savica River, but he did not survive the severe injuries. The seriously injured child, who had also fallen into the crevice, was found in the river bed. The child was transported by the police aviation unit to the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana. At present, there are no new official updates on the condition of the seven-year-old.
The rescue operation was carried out by the Bohinjsko Brezje Mountain Rescue Service and a rescue team on duty from Brnik. The Bohinjsko Brezje Mountain Rescue Service stated that its members were on a drill in the immediate vicinity at the time of the report, which is why they were able to head to the scene of the accident almost immediately. The rescuers stated: "We descended to the river bed, which was located less than 60 metres below us." The child was prepared for helicopter transport, while the body of his father was extracted from the difficult terrain using ropes.
The exact height of the fall for the boy and his father is not yet known. The police are continuing to establish the circumstances of the accident and will forward their findings to the relevant district prosecutor's office once the necessary information has been gathered. Furthermore, the police have not yet disclosed the country of origin of the family.
The Bohinjsko Brezje rescue team stated in a review that mountain accidents are rarely the result of a single error. "It is more often a matter of a chain of circumstances, coincidences, and mistaken decisions that converge at a certain moment into an accident," they said. They added that they hope for the quickest possible recovery for the boy. The police are continuing to gather information on all the circumstances of the accident, after which they will inform the relevant state prosecutor's office of their findings.
