Credit: Salvamont Brasov
18-Year-Old Missing For Nine Days After Going Near ‘Dracula’s Castle’
A teenager has vanished while near to Bran Castle in Romania – known as ‘Dracula’s Castle.’
George Smyth, 18, was close to the village of Bran, home to the vampire’s rumored home, in rural Transylvania on November 23, when he went missing.
A search is underway for the British student and, while his backpack has been located, he is yet to be found.
What is Dracula’s Castle?
Bran Castle is a castle in Bran, Romania. Built by Saxons in 1377, the fortress is a national monument and landmark in Transylvania.
Outside of Romania, it is marketed as ‘Dracula’s Castle’ and presented as the home of the legendary vampire who the Bram Stoker novel was named after.
The Bran Castle website says: “As Bran Castle is the only one in Transylvania that corresponds to Bram Stoker’s description, the whole world refers to it as Dracula’s Castle.
“In Chapter 2 of the novel ‘Dracula’, on May 5, the author depicts the count’s castle as being situated on the edge of a terrible abyss furrowed from time to time by deep cracks – a chasm crossed by silver threads, by rivers crossing the forests through deep gorges.”
While Count Dracula the vampire is a mythical character, he is based on the real Romanian ruler called Vlad III – more commonly known by his chilling nickname: ‘Vlad the Impaler.’
Although mysteries surround the castle in connection with the Dracula tale, many historians conclude that Vlad the Impaler never lived in Castle Bran, which they claim was not a friendly place for him to visit and wasn’t under his rule.
It was once believed that he was imprisoned there after being captured by the Hungarians in 1462, but historians now say that he was detained in a fortress in Budapest.
Where the teenager went missing
George disappeared near Castle Bran, in the Tiganesti Valley, a densely forested land over 6,500ft above sea level.
The area is known for its challenging terrain and scenic views, including the small Tiganesti glacial lake.
November and early December consistently sees the region hit with fast changing weather, sudden fog banks, freezing winds and unstable snowpacks.
For an unprotected or exhausted person, hypothermia can set in within minutes.
Rescuers locate teen’s rucksack during search
While hiking through the mountainous rural region, George used the last of his signal to call emergency services and told them he was suffering from exhaustion and hypothermia.
Crews launched a search for George before issuing a national alert on Friday (November 28) when they informed his mum, Jo.
Although the search remains underway, so far mountain rescue have only been able to find the teen’s rucksack, which was discovered in the same area that he made the call from, The Times reported.
According to Metro, Jo, who has flown to Romania to assist the search for her son, said: “He left his university in the United Kingdom on Sunday without telling us, to go hiking alone.
“His phone last had signal in a remote mountain area. He made a distressing call to 112 on Sunday evening.
“The teams found his backpack in the same place from where he called for help within a few hours.
“I flew to Romania immediately, and we are trying to support the search teams as best we can.’
Authorities continue search for missing teen
Romanian authorities have released an image of George and say he is wearing the same jacket as he is in the photograph.
The search has reportedly faced significant setbacks due to dangerous weather conditions and heavy snow.
The localities of Poiana Brasov and Bran, George’s planned beginning and end points, are joined by long, forested trails that rise sharply into high alpine sections, which become particularly dangerous to navigate when cold hits.
Rescuers have said that despite their sustained efforts, and the use of all available technology, no additional clues have been found that could lead them to George’s location.
A Black Hawk helicopter has even been deployed to fly teams quickly to the most inaccessible parts of the area.
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