As the spokesman for the Vorarlberg mountain rescue service, Klaus Drexel, explained when asked by APA, the individual items are currently being recorded for the purpose of costing. “Who will ultimately be charged for the costs will be seen,” said Drexel on Thursday.
After the return, the responsible school supervisory authority wants to know whether there will be legal consequences for the teachers who had directed the students between the ages of twelve and 14 with sometimes inadequate equipment and without sound route planning from Schöntal in Hirschegg to the Walmendinger Horn at 1,990 meters of the school classes. “At the moment it is too early to say anything about it. The students and teachers are still in Kleinwalsertal,” explained Eveline Dziendziol from the Supervisory and Service Directorate (ADD) in Trier. After returning, you will speak to the teachers who were involved in organizing the hike, said Dziendziol in an interview with the APA: “I assume that they have proceeded to the best of their knowledge and belief.”
The non-signposted tour that the teachers found on the Internet had led over the narrow Heuberggrat, which was wet and slippery due to previous rainfall. When a sub-group of Germans with no alpine experience decided to turn back, two students slipped and suffered minor injuries. As a result, some children panicked. An emergency call was made, and 70 people were subsequently rescued with two helicopters using dew rescue and evacuation sets. The others descended accompanied by the mountain rescue service.
The soaked and hypothermic children were cared for by a crisis intervention team (KIT). “Of course there was a lot of excitement. The mood is now quite good. Thanks to the psychological support and after everyone slept on it, most of them are very happy,” reported Dziendziol. After consultation with psychologists, among others, and contact with the parents, it was decided not to cancel the class trip, but to continue it. When asked what the students had done on Thursday, the representative of the school supervisory authority replied: “I assume that they stayed in the valley.” The Kleinwalsertal also offers interesting low-threshold offers at less lofty heights.
As originally planned, the students will return to Germany by bus tomorrow, Friday. In the coming week, the dramatic events at the school are to be further processed, with psychologists again offering to talk to both students and teachers.
Source: Nachrichten
