Tragedy in Wels: 79-year-old woman found dead in Mühlbach

Tragedy in Wels: 79-year-old woman found dead in Mühlbach

On Saturday, August 9, 2025, a tragic discovery was made in the Welser Mühlbach in Wels-Lichtenegg, Upper Austria. Passers-by found a motionless 79-year-old woman in the water and immediately alerted the emergency services. Despite the emergency doctor's immediate resuscitation measures, the woman was declared dead. It was determined that she was wearing a swimsuit and had apparently previously been swimming in the water when she suffered health problems and sank.

The passersby present acted quickly and held the woman's body from a nearby property to prevent further drifting into the river. Fire, rescue and police arrived at the scene shortly afterwards, pulled the woman from the water and attempted to resuscitate her, but these efforts were unsuccessful. Police have ruled out foul play at this point, indicating that the cause of the incident is likely due to the woman's health problems.

The risks of swimming

Such swimming accidents are particularly tragic because they occur frequently in the warm season. According to the 2025 swimming study by the Board of Trustees for Road Safety (KFV), one in six children in Austria is at risk of drowning if they accidentally fall into the water. Every year, between 22 and 47 people die in drowning accidents in Austria, with water accidents being the second most common cause of death among children. What is worrying is that around 230,000 young people in Austria are potentially at risk of drowning because they cannot swim or have inadequate swimming skills.

The study also shows that many older children and adults overestimate their swimming abilities. Parents often overestimate their children's swimming abilities, which increases the risk of accidents. Low-threshold offerings for swimming courses and safe swimming opportunities are urgently needed. Promoting swimming lessons in schools also remains crucial to preventing such tragedies.

To increase safety when swimming, the KFV offers various tips: Children should never be left unattended and it is advisable to wear conspicuous swimwear. In addition, pools and private bodies of water should be well secured and regular swimming sessions should be planned to promote self-rescue skills.

The dramatic events in Wels serve as a reminder of the importance of taking buoyancy and water safety seriously. Elderly people and children are particularly at risk, and the shared responsibility of everyone involved is essential to avoid such incidents in the future.

For more information about the current swimming study, please visit gesundheit.gv.at. There are also reports about the tragic circumstances in Wels 5min.at as well as today.at.