Image: Mountain Rescue Saalfelden
In the Steinernes Meer on the border between Austria and Germany, hikers discovered a severely weakened mountaineer on the way to the Ingolstädter Haus (2,119 meters) late on Sunday evening. The German was lying on the trail at an altitude of 1,950 meters and could not go any further. “He was totally confused and said he was looking for his companion,” said Markus Reichholf from the Saalfelden Mountain Rescue Service.
The hikers who were about to descend into the valley immediately alerted the mountain rescue service. The exhausted 64-year-old reported that he had set off on the tour with an acquaintance from Weißbach near Lofer. He was then left behind and the companion continued on his way alone. “We were alerted around 10 p.m. and then launched a large-scale operation to search for the second German mountaineer,” reported Reichholf, who also called the landlord of the Ingolstadt house.
“No Insight”
“I informed him and he said he would look if anyone came. But then I called him again and asked him to check his sleeping quarters too.” In fact, the second German was discovered sleeping in the camp. He had checked into the shack, but lay down before his companion arrived. “We woke him up, but he had no insight. He said that he had left his colleague behind and only said that he had to manage on his own.”
The exhausted 64-year-old was transported down to the valley by mountain rescue using a mountain stretcher. For the Saalfelden mountain rescuers, it was the fourth mission that day, they only moved in at around 4:30 a.m.
Source: Nachrichten
