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

24 Bulgarian women from 19 countries nominated for "Bulgarian woman of the Year"

For yet another year, the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad will present the annual award "Bulgarian Woman of the Year - Sveta Zlata Maglenska 2023" at an official ceremony to be held in October.  24 Bulgarian women residing in 19 countries..

published on 9/9/24 2:20 PM

Sts. Cyril and Methodius School in Vancouver preserves the knowledge about Bulgaria alive for 30 years

About 70,000 Bulgarians are currentingly residing in Canada, according to data from the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are seven Bulgarian Sunday schools in the country. During the past 2023/2024 academic year, one of them - "St...

published on 9/8/24 10:35 AM

600 'fighters' engage in epic airsoft simulation for Haskovo Town Day

A record number of 600 "fighters" have gathered at the Uzundzhovo airbase, not for a military conflict, but to celebrate Haskovo's town day. The highlight of the 8 September festivities is an airsoft game, a military simulation that has attracted..

published on 9/7/24 8:52 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 23
Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 23
Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 23
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 25
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 23
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 24
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 9 | Max: 22
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 25
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 21
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 26
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 26
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 23
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 20
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 22
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 26
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 25
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 25
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 24
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

396 Bulgarian schools around the world open doors for the new school year

More than 32,000 Bulgarian children in 43 countries on 6 continents will be heading for the 396 Bulgarian Sunday schools around the world registered for..

published on 9/16/24 6:54 AM

Sofia - more modern than ancient in the eyes of foreign tourists

St. Sophia - the church that gave the Bulgarian capital its present-day name - is dwarfed by St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral , which towers in the centre..

published on 9/17/24 8:20 AM

Folklore groups, cooks and artisans from Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece to take part in the "Balkantea" festival in Sozopol

More than 10 folklore groups, cooks and artisans from Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece will gather at the "Balkantea" festival in Sozopol from 16 to 18..

published on 9/16/24 9:05 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

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