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

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

On Saturday, August 9, 2025, a tragic discovery in the Welser Mühlbach in Wels-Lichtenegg, Upper Austria, was made. Passants found a motionless 79-year-old woman in the water and immediately alerted the emergency services. Despite the immediately initiated resuscitation measures of the emergency doctor, the death of the woman was found. It was determined that she was wearing a swimsuit and apparently swimming in the water beforehand when she suffered and tackled health problems.

The passers -by acted quickly and held the woman's body from a nearby property to prevent further abortion in the river. The fire brigade, the rescue and the police arrived at the scene shortly afterwards, pulled the woman out of the water and tried to revive her, but these efforts were unsuccessful. The police concluded external debt at the current time, which indicates that the cause of the incident is presumably due to women.

The risks when swimming

Such bathing accidents are particularly tragic because they often occur in the warm season. According to the swimming study 2025 of the Board of Trustees for Road Safety (KFV), every sixth child in Austria is at risk of water in an unforeseen fall. Every year, between 22 and 47 people die in Austria due to drowning accidents, with water accidents being the second most common cause of death in children. It is worrying that around 230,000 young people in Austria are potentially drowning because they cannot swim or only have inadequate swimming skills.

The study also shows that many older children and adults overestimate their swimming skills. Parents often overestimate their children's swimming skills, which increases the risk of accidents. Low -threshold offers for swimming courses and safe swimming options are urgently necessary. The promotion of swimming lessons in schools also remains crucial for the prevention of such tragedies.

In order to increase safety when swimming, the KFV gives various tips: children should never be left unattended, and it is advisable to use striking swimwear. In addition, pools and private waters should be well secured and regular swimming units should be planned to promote self -rescue competence.

The dramatic events in Wels are reminiscent of how important it is to take swimming capacity and safety in water seriously. Older people and children in particular are at risk, and the common 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 . Also report on the tragic circumstances in Wels 5min.at and Today.at .