A missing passenger in a mountainous area ignores emergency calls for 24 hours because he ‘does not recognize the number’ | Abroad

“If you are on the road for too long and receive multiple calls from an unknown number, respond. It may be a rescue team that wants to make sure you are safe,” Lake County Search and Rescue said in a Facebook post. The hiker roamed the area around the highest mountain in the US state of Colorado, “Mount Elbert”. Around 8 p.m. local time, the man was reported missing as he did not reach his residence.

The local investigative department attempted to reach the man several times, but all calls were ignored. At about 10 p.m. local time, at least five teams were deployed to track down the hiker. At three in the morning the teams returned without any success. About four hours later, another area “where many hikers have gone astray” was combed completely, but authorities were informed that the “missing” hiker had returned to his inn safe and sound.

The man reported to the authorities that he lost his way in the evening and followed several hiking trails to find the main road again. The next morning, he said he found his way back to his car, about 24 hours after the journey began. The hiker said he had “no idea” someone was looking for him and never answered his phone “because he didn’t recognize the number.”

Several people reacted by surprise to the Facebook message and thought the man should have used “common sense”. However, according to the rescue service, this is not always clear to pedestrians who are lost in a panic. “In Colorado, people who often spend time outside have enough knowledge of the rescue services that are there to help them, but that’s not the case for everyone,” she said.