Three climbers die tragically from lightning in Tyrol!

Three climbers die tragically from lightning in Tyrol!

On Sunday, June 16, 2025, a tragic alpine accident occurred in the Verwallgebirge in the Landeck, Tyrol district, in which three people died through a lightning strike. The victims are a 62-year-old locals, his 60-year-old brother and his 60-year-old wife. The group had broken up to the Ganatshalpe in the morning and had reached the top of the lunch in good weather before the weather deteriorated dramatically between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m. Thunderstorms moved out and the descent started immediately.

When the mountaineers did not return in the evening, concerned relatives reported the group's departure around 7:00 p.m. The subsequent search action was extremely difficult: heavy rain, fog, deep clouds and wind significantly difficult. Operations manager Patrick Wechner and his team went on foot to the lunch tip, while a helicopter was looking for the mountaineers. Around 8:15 p.m., the three times were located in about 200 meters of altitude above the team's location, but they were already found motionless next to a climb. The emergency doctor could only find the death after it became known that the lightning had hit the group directly.

challenges in recovery

The recovery of the deceased was in very difficult weather conditions, which is why the helicopter could not land. The emergency services were flown to the landing site in Pettneu in several rotations. According to initial knowledge, the accident happened between 1 and 2 p.m. at an altitude of 2,300 meters. Particularly tragic: a mountain rescue from the lake in the Paznaun valley is one of the victims of the natural disaster. In the past 20 years, no comparison cases have become known in the Alpine area with several dead by lightning strikes, which is all the more unusual, as Kurier.

A spokesman for the Tyrolean mountain rescue, Gregor Franke, explained that such accidents are extremely rare. In recent years there have never been more than three deaths per year in the alpine room due to lightning strikes, while injured people are usually not recorded in a large number. Injuries from lightning strikes are often indirectly, for example due to panic reactions or falls during thunderstorms.

advice for mountaineers

experts advise to do without mountain tours when the weather is uncertain. Especially when the thunderstorms are picked up, the peaks, burrs and exposed points should be left immediately. In such cases, protective huts offer safe shelter. Single trees, wire ropes, lift supports and watercourses must also be avoided to minimize the risk of lightning strikes. These security measures are particularly important because via ferrata is an additional risk due to the metal components that can lead to electricity.

The tragedy comes in a context in which the number of alpine accidents has increased in recent years. According to the preliminary alpine accident statistics for the winter of 2023/24, there were 106 fatal accidents in the Austrian Alps, many due to collisions or falls, while lightning strikes are more of an exception. Tirol recorded the highest number of alpine accidents, which makes the importance of preventive measures all the more urgent (mountain and climbing).