Tragic mountain drama: 40-year-old on tour in Tyrol fatally accident

Tragic mountain drama: 40-year-old on tour in Tyrol fatally accident

A tragic incident in the Tyrolean mountains occurred on Saturday when a 40-year-old German died on a mountain tour on the Köllenspitze. According to Vol.at, his body was discovered around 450 meters below the summit at an altitude of 2,238 meters. The man had been reported missing after the contact had broken off to a friend who kept asking him about his location. The last contact took place at 10:00 a.m. when he sent a summit photo. The police were alerted on Sunday night and found the body in the afternoon.

The tragic incident is reminiscent of the dangers that exist when it comes to mountaineering, especially in unstable weather conditions or dangerous terrain conditions. The mountain accident statistics of the German Alpine Association (DAV) shows that despite a decline in accidents by 25% in 2021, the most common causes of accidents are still falling when hiking. In 2021 the association registered 310 fall accidents, 17 of which ended (alpenverein.de).

missing mountaineer in Upper Austria

Nachrichten.at . When she had not yet arrived in the afternoon, the husband made an emergency call to the mountain rescue.

The search action that was then initiated included several emergency services from mountain rescue, fire brigade and police, starting in the evening and was supported by the use of police helicopters with thermal imaging cameras. Despite intensive efforts, the search was unsuccessful at night. On Monday morning the search continued with about 70 people, with a search dog found the first traces, but who did not lead to the missing woman. Since there is reception problems on the mountain, a location via the cell phone network was not possible. The search was ultimately broken off on Monday evening and is to be continued on Tuesday.

These incidents again underline the risks of mountain sports and the need to always go well informed and prepared for tours. The statistical data of the DAV show not only declines in the number of accidents, but also that safety precautions and modern equipment can be decisive in order to avoid dangerous situations. However, climate change and its effects could continue to increase the dangers in mountain sports in the future.