Search to resume for missing teenager in Romania

The search for a teenager who has been missing for more than a week in the Romanian mountains will resume on Thursday, after being called off because of an avalanche risk.

George Smyth, 18, a University of Bristol student from Shropshire, has been missing in the Bucegi Mountains since 23 November, Brașov Mountain Rescue said.

He is believed to have disappeared after leaving Poiana Brașov to head to Bran, the site of Count Dracula's castle. Mr Smyth later reached Tiganesti, where he asked for support via the 112 emergency number.

Sebastian Marinescu, from the local mountain rescue service, told the BBC that search teams hoped to begin operations again at about 07:30 EET (05:30 GMT) on Thursday.

The search has been temporarily called off after seven days because of the concern about avalanches.

"The weather seems to be improving, although there are still some risks in the area," Mr Marescu explained.

He said rescue teams were preparing to climb towards the Mălăiești zone, which was only possible by foot.

"Tomorrow morning [Thursday], we plan to set off around 06:00. From there, it takes about an hour-and-a-half to reach the place where the backpack was found," Mr Marinescu continued.

"We expect to begin the actual search operations on the ground between 07:00 and 07:30, as long as the weather allows us to continue safely."

Mr Smyth's family have travelled to Romania to support the search teams.

On Tuesday, his mother Jo Smyth said her son had kept this trip from his family so they would not worry about it.

She also said he had travelled a lot with his family and with his friends and loved the mountains.

His former school, Haberdashers' Adams in Newport, said: "We are deeply concerned and saddened to learn that our much-loved and cherished former student, George Smyth, has been reported missing while hiking in the Bucegi Mountain Range in Romania."

On Tuesday, Mr Marinescu said that when it received the emergency call from Mr Smyth, "he was disoriented, physically exhausted, and already showing signs of hypothermia".

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

Mr Smyth was advised to turn back along the same route and keep moving to avoid falling asleep through hypothermia, but it seems he did not follow the advice.

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

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