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Three teams of rescuers have let on Monday morning towards the Bucura peak (2,433 meters) of the Retezat Massif, on different trails, in search of two climbers from Craiova of whom no one knows anything about since Saturday, after the two of them left the Gentiana Refuge saying they want to climb in the area knows as the "Bucura Walls" (Peretii Bucurei).
"As soon as it was daylight, the rescue team left in search of two climbers from Craiova. The searches are carried out under unfavorable weather conditions because strong blizzards occur in the area, there is fog and sleet started to fall," head of the Hunedoara County Public Rescue Service Ovidiu Bodean stated for agerpres.
According to him, a number of 19 mountain rescuers and eight mountain gendarmes are involved in the rescue operations.
A first team made-up of four mountain rescuers has left on Monday morning from the Buta Cabin towards the Poiana Brasov and then the Bucura Refuge, where the two persons presumably took shelter.
The second team, consisting of five mountain rescuers and three mountain gendarmes has left from the Gentiana Refuge, on the Rocks Valley (Valea Pietrele) and succeeded to reach the "Bucura Wall" (Peretele Bucura) base, where they try to find the two missing climbers from Craiova.
The third team, made-up of five mountain rescuers is climbing from the Rocks Cabin on the Stanisoara Valley toward the Bucura peak.
Another team is stationed at the Gentiana Refuge, made-up of five mountain rescuers and four mountain gendarmes, that is to immediately intervene if needed.
The two climbers from Craiova have come at the end of the last week, at the Gentiana Refuge from the Retezat Mountains, together with a group of friends. They announced on Saturday that they are heading towards an approved climbing route near the Bucura peak, from where they haven't yet returned. Their colleagues have tried unsuccessfully to find them, afterwards they asked the Mountain Rescuer for help.
The rescuers cannot communicate by phone with the two tourists because they have left their cell phones at the Gentiana Refuge when they left on the trail.
The searching operations have started on Sunday morning, but they temporary stopped because of the strong blizzard, snowfall and dense fog.
The rescuers take into account several versions, hoping that the climbers succeeded to build a bivouac under a large ledge or managed to retreat to the Bucura Refuge to take shelter.
