Albanian rescuers save stranded foreign tourists

TIRANA, July 9 – Two British tourists lost at sea after their boat ran out of fuel were rescued by the Albanian Coast Guard and a Czech mountain climber who fell in a ravine was rescued by a helicopter of the Albanian Air Force, authorities said this week.
The British boat had lost contact with land after it left Croatia and was destined to reach Corfu in Greece.
The two British tourists were found some 10 miles from the shore in good health conditions, authorities said.
The armed forces helicopter also managed to find a Czech tourist who was considered lost in the Jezerca mountain in northeast of the country. The Czech man was injured while climbing the mountain and had lost contact with his peers.
He was later taken to the military hospital in capital Tirana.
Summer has come and has brought more foreign tourists in the country who are looking to explore its wilderness. Albania has a good environment for many forms of tourism, but the infrastructure in very rural areas is still developing and experts urge tourists to exert caution.
A NATO member since 2009, Albania has modernized its coast guard and helicopter fleet to deal with such situations.