site.btaBulgarian Geophysicist Rescued After Falling into Crevasse Near Antarctic Base

Bulgarian geophysicist Vasil Gurev fell into a deep ice crevasse during geophysical research on the Contell Glacier near Bulgaria’s Antarctic base St. Kliment Ohridski on Sunday. Thanks to strict adherence to safety protocols while operating outside the base in an alpine rope team, his partner, field assistant Alexander Valchev, managed to hold him at a depth of two meters and pull him back to the surface, Prof. Christo Pimpirev, head of Bulgarian Antarctic expeditions and Chair of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, reported.

"The incident ended completely safely and demonstrated the utmost importance of following safety rules and the professionalism of the teams. Similar incidents in other expeditions have often led to serious consequences. Geophysical research on the Contell Glacier continues without interruption," Prof. Pimpirev added.