Big search on the Drau: Who is the missing person?

Big search on the Drau: Who is the missing person?

On Sunday evening, December 1, 2024, an extensive use of emergency services at the city drau bridge in Villach was started at 7.30 p.m. A call reported that a person could have jumped into the drau, which triggered an alarm that mobilized numerous helpers. The police, water rescue and fire brigade were immediately on site and searched both the bank area and the river with boats and a helicopter. A total of around 88 emergency services were involved, including a drone to support the search, which expanded to the Wasenboden, while numerous onlookers observed the rescue operation, such as the Kleine Zeitung reported.

The situation turned out to be complicated when the caller was no longer available and the police found that the mobile phone used was registered for a 36-year-old Villacher. According to reports, the woman had left her cell phone to a 15-year-old adolescent who was more than missing in the past. This refused to admit the false registration and stated that he had given the phone to someone unknown to call a friend. The police are now investigating the circumstances that led to this large rescue operation, since the false plant of an emergency call can be associated with high costs, as the ORF Carinthia . Nothing is known about the exact amount of the possibly incurred costs.