Mammutmarch ends for five participants in the hospital
During a 100-kilometer hike, participants encountered a plant named Giant Hogweed. It causes burns and nausea. The fire department was called out in force. Five people had to be taken to the hospital.
A poisonous plant caused a medical emergency during the so-called "Mammutmarch" with a starting point in Essen. The fire department was first informed in the early afternoon, then reports of illness and burns among participants of the 100-kilometer distance hike began to accumulate, said a spokesperson for the fire department.
Numerous ambulances were deployed. The fire department reported 17 injured, five of whom were taken to the hospital. The cause was the contact of hikers with the plant named Giant Hogweed, said the spokesperson. The plant exudes a liquid that reacts with sunlight - and causes skin damage and burns when touched, for example on the arms or legs. "Other hikers reported feeling unwell."
The Grugapark in Essen is the starting and finishing point of the "Mammutmarch," a 100-kilometer hike that takes hikers from the Grugapark to the Bergische Land and back. The hike began on the Saturday afternoon, with returnees expected in the early hours of Sunday morning.
After the hike, the international media picked up the incident in Essen. Despite the incident, the fire department commended the participants for their quick response in calling for help.
