Poor visibility disrupted the rescue helicopter's operations on Pico Ruivo
A 24-year-old female tourist was injured while hiking the mountain trail connecting the peaks of Pico Ruivo and Pico do Areeiro. As a result of the fall, the victim suffered a suspected foot fracture.
The Serviço Regional de Proteção Civil helicopter crew tried to quickly reach the victim, but the aerial operation had to be canceled due to poor visibility in the mountains. Eleven rescuers from Bombeiros Voluntários de Santana set out to provide ground assistance in two vehicles.
Source: Está em curso o resgate a uma turista ferida numa queda no Pico Ruivo - RTP Madeira
Context
The PR1 (Vereda do Areeiro) hiking trail runs along the ridge of the Central Mountain Range of Madeira and connects the island's third highest peak, Pico do Areeiro (1818 m), with the highest point, Pico Ruivo (1862 m). The trail passes through volcanic tunnels, steep stairs and narrow rock ledges with steep cliffs.
Due to the peculiarities of the high-altitude microclimate, dense cloud cover and sudden fog regularly form over this massif, which significantly limits visibility even in clear weather on the coast. There are no roads leading to the peak of Pico Ruivo, and the nearest transport access ends at the Asada do Teixeira parking lot at an altitude of about 1,600 meters.