Fatal paraglider crash in Wefenweng: mountain rescuers on duty!

Fatal paraglider crash in Wefenweng: mountain rescuers on duty!

A tragic incident shocked the Wefenweng region in Salzburger Land: On February 19th, a 42-year-old German paraglider pilot crashed shortly after taking off from Bischling West. The crash occurred in rough terrain and initially went unnoticed until a work colleague of the missing person raised the alarm after he failed to show up for work. The mountain rescuers from Werden and the Alpine police immediately launched a search operation, supported by a police helicopter that used a thermal imaging camera. “We initially had no clues,” reported Gerhard Kremser, the district manager of the Pongau mountain rescue service, about the worrying situation.

Search operation and tragic find

The search continued late into the evening of February 19, but was unsuccessful. It was not until the following morning, February 20th, that the search could be resumed with new forces. Thanks to intensive search measures, the rescue team discovered the pilot in a steep gully, but any help came too late: the man could only be rescued dead. According to a report from the Salzburg mountain rescue service, the pilot probably died immediately in the crash. The “Libelle” police helicopter team took over the rescue of the casualty, while the Alpine police began investigating the cause of the crash. A total of 15 mountain rescuers, five alpine police officers, the volunteer fire department and the Red Cross KIT team were deployed to deal with the tragedy salzburg.ORF.at executed.

This tragic incident once again casts a shadow over the popular paragliding sport in the region, where such fatal accidents can unfortunately occur. The fate of the 42-year-old man is a reminder of how risky paragliding can be, despite the fascination with the skies, and is once again putting safety standards to the test.