ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

US Marine thanks Bulgarian rescuers for second chance at life

Last November, US Navy Lieutenant Commander James Barlow (L) was hiking on Vihren Peak when he lost his footing and fell more than 200 metres.
Photo: US embassy in Sofia

5 November 2023 is a date US Marine James Barlow will always remember. It was the day he conquered Vihren Peak in the Pirin Mountains, but minutes later his life took a dramatic turn. He fell over 200 metres at a speed of 60 km/h and landed on his head. He suffered severe hypothermia. 
James Barlow, a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, was hiking on Vihren Peak when he lost his footing and fell 220 meters
"I don't remember what happened, I hit my head, had a brain haemorrhage and lost consciousness," says James Barlow. It was his wife who alerted emergency services when he didn't return home. 

The couple's young son retrieved the GPS coordinates from James' mobile phone, making the rescue much easier. Twenty mountain rescuers set out immediately and found him 10 hours after the accident. "We were surprised that he was still alive. Our eyes widened when he responded," recalls Ivo, one of the rescuers.

James was first admitted to the Military Medical Academy, where doctors fought for his life. A month later, he came out of a coma in a US hospital. "I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world," James admits today. Now fully recovered, he has returned to Bulgaria to thank his rescuers and to donate BGN 12,000 (almost €6,000) to the Mountain Rescue Service for team training.

"My family and I will never stop being grateful because without these amazing people here in Bulgaria I wouldn't be alive, I would have died in the mountains. There are good people in the world who really want to help others," says James. 

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria Life    james barlow mountains rescue team

More from category

Celebrating young wine in the village of Kolena

Residents and guests of the village of Kolena, Stara Zagora Municipality, gather for the Young Wine Festival. The event was celebrated for the first time in 2017, and a few years later the local teacher and winemaker Martin Slavov gave the..

published on 11/10/24 7:10 AM

The tallest Ferris wheel in the country to be erected in Pleven

The tallest Ferris wheel in Bulgaria will rise above Pleven , announced regional governor Nikolay Abrashev. It will be built in a multifunctional complex near the Kaylaka Park. "The project envisages the construction of a Ferris wheel with a..

published on 11/9/24 12:37 PM

The town of Elena is hosting the Feast of the Elena meat delicacy

The town of Elena, Veliko Tarnovo region, will welcome thousands of guests for the Feast of the Elena pork leg meat delicacy . Balkan masters will demonstrate their culinary art on Saturday and Sunday, BNR correspondent Zdravka Maslyankova reported...

published on 11/9/24 7:45 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 8
Scattered showers
Min: 6 | Max: 9
Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 8
Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 5
Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 4
Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 4
Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 3
Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 6
Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 7
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 9
Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 4
Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 4
Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 8
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 6
Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 5
Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 8
Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 6
Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 7
Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 7
Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 8
Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 4
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 6
Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 8
Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 6
Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 7
Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 7
Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 8
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Bulgarians in Albania need state support in order to preserve their national identity

"You say you are Bulgarian, but you do not know Bulgarian" – this reproach from officials in Bulgaria has been faced by quite a few by our compatriots..

published on 12/2/24 4:05 PM

Melitopol University hosts online conference uniting scholars of Bulgarian studies

Bulgarian studies are highly valued at the Bogdan Khmelnitsky State Pedagogical University in the Ukrainian city of Melitopol. So it comes as no surprise..

published on 12/2/24 5:35 PM

Dina Djevali from Syria: I have lived through utter misery, nothing is difficult for me in Bulgaria

The survival of millions of people around the world, living in conditions of war, hunger, disease and immense despair, is at stake every day. We often..

published on 12/2/24 1:01 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"