Group surprised by flash flood in Klamm: Woman swept away by masses of water – 27-year-old found dead
Created: 09/05/2022 05:07
By: Katarina Amtmann
Several people were surprised by a thunderstorm in the Starzlachklamm.
© Hans Moritz
A group was surprised by a flash flood in the Starzlach Gorge after a thunderstorm.
Two men were seriously injured and one woman died.
Update from September 4th, 1:54 p.m
.: A canyoning tour in the Allgäu was fatal to a 27-year-old – she was rescued dead from the Starzlachklamm on Sunday.
According to the police, the young woman and other canyoning athletes were swept away in the gorge on Saturday after a thunderstorm by the rapidly rising water.
A 31- and a 49-year-old man were injured and rescued.
Canyoning is an adventurous tour through a gorge with abseiling, climbing, jumping, sliding and swimming.
The Starzlach Gorge in Oberallgäu is considered a hotspot for this leisure sport.
Several organizers offer guided tours there.
On Saturday afternoon, around 60 to 70 people should have been on or in the gorge, said a police spokesman.
After the heavy rain, at least eight people were trapped by the water masses and at least three were swept away.
It is now being checked whether the organizer was at fault in the accident.
The public prosecutor's office in Kempten is investigating.
Group surprised by flash flood in Klamm: Woman swept away by masses of water – 27-year-old found dead
Update from September 4, 12:07 p.m .:
The 27-year-old woman who was missing after a canyoning accident in Allgäu was found dead on Sunday.
According to the police, she and other canyoning athletes were swept away by the rapidly rising water after a thunderstorm on Saturday in the Starzlachklamm near Sonthofen (see first report).
A 31- and a 49-year-old man were seriously injured.
The younger should be released from the hospital on Sunday.
The emergency call from the gorge was received by the police and rescue workers around 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Mountain and water rescue services, volunteer fire departments, THW and the police rescued several people from the gorge, including the two injured men, and searched for the missing woman in the Starzlach and Ostrach rivers until nightfall.
Drones and a rescue helicopter were also deployed.
A police spokesman said that visibility in the normally clear water was poor after the storm.
The young woman's body was found in the gorge on Sunday morning.
Group surprised by flash flood in gorge: woman swept away by masses of water in the Alps
First report from September 4th, 7.39 a.m .:
Sonthofen – On Saturday (September 3rd) storms moved over parts of Bavaria.
Due to a strong thunderstorm, the Starzlach swelled very quickly.
At that time there were several groups of people in the gorge, as the police announced in the evening.
The Starzlach Gorge is located in the Allgäu Alps, near Sonthofen in the Oberallgäu district.
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Rescuers work on a bluff on the river bank.
A woman goes missing after her group was caught in a flash flood while canyoning in the Starzlach Gorge.
© Andrea Liss/dpa/dpa-Bildfunk
Starzlachklamm: group surprised by storm - person carried away by water
"Due to the rapidly rising water, several people were trapped by the water, some of them were also swept away," says the press release from the Swabia South / West Presidium.
According to the current state of knowledge, two people were seriously injured.
"One person was swept away by the water masses, this is currently missing," said the police.
The search for this person was interrupted in the evening due to darkness and the water situation in the gorge, it is to be continued on Sunday.
In addition to the mountain rescue service, water rescue service, fire brigade, THW, crisis service, rescue helicopters, rescue services and the police were in action.
Several people were surprised by a thunderstorm in the Starzlachklamm.
© Hans Moritz
Group in Starzlachklamm surprised by flash flood - woman missing
As reported by the German Press Agency, the group went canyoning.
This means crossing a gorge by abseiling, climbing, jumping, sliding and swimming.
The missing person is said to be a woman, the seriously injured two men.
(came)
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