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The muddy danger: people have to be rescued from the tidal flats again and again (symbol image)
Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa
A mudflat hiker sunk up to her knees in the mud was rescued by the fire brigade in Schleswig-Holstein.
The woman got stuck on Monday afternoon around 400 meters off the coast of Büsum in the soft mud flats and could no longer free herself, as the fire brigade announced.
With an amphibious vehicle, the emergency services were able to drive over the mud flats and find the woman in her predicament.
To counteract the suction effect of the mud flats, they used a so-called air pressure lance.
A long steel pipe is inserted into the mudflats next to those seeking help and air is pumped into it.
This removes the negative pressure and the buoyancy of air helps with the release.
Gerald Warner, deputy chief of the Büsum fire brigade, explains why the mud flats are so dangerous: “The subsoil suddenly changes from firm to muddy.
Each movement then ensures an even deeper sinking in.
In addition, there is a negative pressure that literally sucks the body in. «The fire brigade repeatedly reports on missions in Büsum where people have to be rescued from the mudflats.
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mjm / dpa