British tourist who ignored warnings fined £12,000 after rescue in Italy

A British man has been fined more than £12,000 after failing to heed signs a mountain path was closed in Italy due to landslides.

The 60-year-old Brit called the alpine rescue service to inform officials rocks were falling from above as he attempted to traverse the Via Ferrata Berti, a mountain path partially supported by metal ropes and stairs. A helicopter was deployed from nearby San Vito di Cadore in northeast Italy to rescue the tourist, who has not been named.

The man, who was not injured, had reached an altitude of 2,400 metres and was "right in the middle of the landslide" when he was freed on Thursday afternoon. The rescue comes following awarning to Brit tourists who are planning all-inclusive holidays to Spain.

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Nicola Cherubin, head of the rescue service, said the man had told her team he did not see the warning signs. He has since been charged €14,225 (£12,300), with €11,160 of that covering the helicopter rescue, according to The Guardian.

"Rocks have been falling continually in that area for the past two months. With these landslides, it is not secure. He was really afraid," Ms Cherubin told the Daily Telegraph.

Signs in English on the trail said the route was closed "due to risk of collapse" and ordered people not to "go beyond this warning". The rescue service said the Ferrata Berti was closed because of "continuous rock discharge from the Croda Marcora landslide".

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But in July, two Belgian hikers were rescued from the same trail. They, though, have not been charged the same fee from the volunteer rescue service because Belgium is part of the European Union. The UK formally left this on January 31, 2020, following the Brexit vote several years prior - and now half of Brits want another referendum, a survey says.

The mountain rescue service told The Times the British man was charged by the regional health service of Veneto. A spokesman said: "If someone calls because they are tired or stuck because they find themselves in a place where they shouldn't be, or if they are unharmed with no health issue, they have to pay. If you are from outside the EU without insurance, you have to pay more." It is unclear where exactly in the UK the tourist is from.

Rescuers told the hiker to stay put while they attempted to navigate cloud cover. One helicopter was dispatched before it was called elsewhere. Another arrived two hours after the hiker's call, it is reported today.