ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 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

Jerusalem

"Peace Bell" march passes through Bulgaria on its way to Jerusalem

A march called "Peace Bell" passes through Bulgaria. The initiative is from the German union of the same name. The participants firmly believe that ordinary people should make every effort to preserve peace, in times when there are many wars and..

published on 8/8/25 12:06 PM

Balkan developments

Fiscal measures hit households in Romania amid record deficit Romania is entering a difficult economic period, with commentators expecting the crisis to last at least a year. Since August 1, the country has been implementing new fiscal measures to..

published on 8/8/25 11:04 AM

The heart of the Rhodopes celebrates – festival of Devin and mineral water held from August 8 to 10

Devin – the “city of mineral water” is located in one of the most picturesque regions of Bulgaria - the southwestern part of the Rhodopes, along the Vacha River. Dozens of natural and historical landmarks are located in its vicinity..

published on 8/8/25 9:00 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 30
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 40
Clear
Min: 22 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 39
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 39
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 40
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 15 | Max: 35
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 39
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 21 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 23 | Max: 40
Clear
Min: 21 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 21 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 12 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 35
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 39
Clear
Min: 21 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 38
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

With their opening up to the world, Bulgarians are changing their eating culture

The profession of a chef is becoming more and more prestigious, and people who devote themselves to it must really love it, because the hours of work are..

published on 8/10/25 10:35 AM

Bulgarian students invent a robot to assist with weeding

Two young Bulgarian inventors have developed a solution for a job few want to do . Gregory-Leon Faurie, born in Qatar, and Martin Georgiev from..

published on 8/11/25 3:30 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

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