Berg drama in Styria: 43-year-old falls fatally into the depth

Berg drama in Styria: 43-year-old falls fatally into the depth

In a tragic incident, a 43-year-old man was deadly accidentally accidentally accidentally accidentally accidentally accidentally accident. The accident occurred during the descent from the high bladder. The man who has a Serbian nationality and lives in the Graz area district fell over 100 meters to the depths for unexplained reasons. His mountain comrade, with whom he had previously mastered a via ferrata, immediately made an emergency call.

rescue workers were able to localize the accident in a steep scree channel, but all help came too late for him. When the rescue workers arrived, only his death could be determined. The man's body was later recovered by a police helicopter. Investigations into the exact cause of the accident are currently underway, but there is no suspicion of external negligence at the current time.

an increase in mountain accidents

The tragic incident is part of a worrying development in the area of mountain accidents. According to the alpenverein.de, a record was recorded in the number of accidents in the German Alpine Association (DAV) in 2022. 1243 members of mountain accidents or emergencies were affected. This corresponds to an average accident rate of an incident per 1128 members and is comparable to the level in front of the corona pandemic.

annual overview of the mountain accidents

The alpenverein.de also provides a comprehensive overview of the accident patterns that have changed in recent years. This leads to an increase in accidents by slipping (old) snow fields, especially in March and April. In addition, mountaineering and hiking are not without risk: In 2022, 58 accidents and 3 deaths were registered in mountaineering, while there were 384 accidents and 17 deaths in hiking.

The results of the mountain accident statistics make it clear that despite an increase in membership in the DAV, the dangers in the mountains should not be underestimated to over 1.4 million. Climate change, for example thawing the permafrost, could play a role in the increase in risks.