The Government of Cantabria has proceeded to pay the rescue costs of a couple of speleologists lost in the Soba cave on June 23, after closing the file and proving that they had not complied with the obligation to previously communicate access to the cave to the 112 Emergency Care Center, something that the entity organizing the activity did not do on their behalf.
As reported by the Government, the General Directorate of Security and Protection of Citizens imposed a fee of a total amount of 3,875 euros, for the mobilization of the caving-rescue team and the duration of the intervention (35 hours and 10 minutes).
The Executive proceeded to pay the aforementioned rescue costs to the insurance company, given that the speleologists had an insurance policy that covered the supposed object of the costs.
In response to this tax regulation, notified to the persons concerned on August 28, an administrative and economic claim may be filed, addressed to the General Directorate of Security and Protection of Citizens of the Cantabrian Government, within one month from the day following the notification, as well as, where appropriate, an optional appeal for review before this same body.
The rescue of the two Castilian-Leonese speleologists took place between June 23 and 25 in the cave called Garma Ciega-Sima del Sombrero, in the municipality of Soba (Cantabria).
Without prior communication
The failure to adopt the precautionary measure consisting of prior communication to 112 is one of the factual hypotheses subject to taxation for the collection of the rates provided for in the Cantabrian Law 11/2021 on Fiscal and Administrative Measures, which regulates the rate of rescue and rescue services.
By virtue of this, the Executive has applied the third rate provided by law for the speleosocorro service provided, which sets for the mobilization of the team, up to the first six hours, an amount of 569.97 euros, as well as for each additional hour of intervention, until the end of it, of 113.99 euros per hour.
