Children in Tyrol: Accident at the waterfall – happiness in misfortune!

There was a dramatic rescue operation in the Tyrolean ski area of ​​Hochkössen/Unterberg on Sunday afternoon when two boys aged 11 and 12 found themselves in a dangerous situation. The two friends had left the secured slopes and entered rocky and impassable terrain. Their adventure ended abruptly in front of a 25 meter high waterfall, where they got lost and could no longer go forward or back. Luckily, one of the boys had the right instinct to alert the mother, who immediately set the rescue chain in motion the crown reported.

The Kössen mountain rescue service was quickly mobilized and thanks to GPS location transmission via WhatsApp, the children were able to be located quickly. Nine rescue workers responded and were able to save the two uninjured. Michael Fahringer, local mountain rescue department manager, praised the correct behavior of the boys, who had requested help in good time before the situation could have gotten worse. However, this was not the first use in this area, indicating an increased risk of accidents.

Rescue operations and causes of accidents in winter sports

These events place further emphasis on the increasing number of mountain rescue missions. Roland Ampenberger, press spokesman for the Bavarian Mountain Rescue Service, noted that although there has not been a dramatic increase in the number of operations in recent years, the number remains consistently high. With around 4,500 missions in winter, most of which involve skiers and snowboarders, alpine snow sports remain one of the most common causes of rescue missions. Ampenberger explained in the interview that many accidents occur during the descent, while the ascent is often less risky.

The mountain rescue service has been active since 1920 and has constantly developed to respond to the increasing demands in mountain sports. The challenges of climate change also present emergency services with new tasks as weather conditions and the associated dangers change. Media reports about the risks in winter sports can lead to a distorted perception and influence athletes' risk awareness. It is therefore essential that both recreational acrobats and experienced mountain athletes always pay attention to their safety and critically assess the local conditions, which is the guiding principle in their preventative work Outdoor magazine reported.