Alpine drama about the missing climber on the Hochkalter: Reinhold Messner hopes for a "miracle"
Created: 09/22/2022, 13:43
By: Katarina Amtmann
A climber has been missing on the Hochkalter since Saturday.
The weather made the search difficult.
Now even a Eurofighter from the Bundeswehr helped.
Update from September 22, 12:25 p.m .:
A 24-year-old climber has disappeared from the Hochkalter since Saturday.
The search was often difficult due to the weather (see first report).
"While I'm not on site, I think the chances of finding the young man alive are minimal.
But miracles happen from time to time," says Reinhold Messner (78) in an interview with the
picture (plus content).
"It is unlikely that he was able to dig a useful snow cave at this time of year and with his injuries," the expert suspects Weather. Normally, you should have turned around at the first sleet, and then you're actually safe quickly. Many can't cope with the big nature, only see the postcard motifs, "Messner continued to the newspaper.
The rescuers tried everything, my mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner.
© IMAGO / Hartenfelser / Bergwacht Ramsau / dpa-Bildfunk (Collage: Merkur.de)
Extremely cold drama: Mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner with an assessment
"When I look at the pictures, the mountain rescuers really did their best despite the weather and tried everything to find the missing person despite all the dangers," says the mountaineering legend.
“It is always important – when you are out and about alone – to tell others where you are going.
A lot of inexperienced mountaineers are usually well equipped, but underestimate the mountains - this magnificent natural phenomenon that can be very dangerous," he warns.
Drama in the Alps: search for missing mountaineers on the Hochkalter – Eurofighters are also in action
First report from September 22nd, 8.36 a.m .:
Ramsau – A young climber (24) has been missing on the Hochkalter since Saturday.
The search had to be temporarily called off due to the weather.
On Wednesday, the mountain rescue service and the police took advantage of the generally better weather and continued the search.
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Drama in the Alps: mountaineers still missing on the Hochkalter – backpack found
On the Hochkalter, the missing 24-year-old was searched for from the air with the Recco buoy and at potential location points with emergency services in the field.
A weather balloon was found around noon and the young man's backpack was found in the late afternoon.
Mountain rescuers have been looking for a missing 24-year-old climber under sometimes dangerous conditions since Saturday.
© Bavarian Red Cross / District Association Berchtesgadener Land / Merkur collage
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Climbers on the Hochkalter missing: even Eurofighter in search in use
"Due to clouds moving around, it was no longer possible in the evening to use the winch to lower other emergency services to the mountain, which could have searched the area below the backpack with a rope," said the Bavarian Red Cross on Thursday (September 22).
A police helicopter and a federal police transport helicopter were involved in the search.
In the late afternoon, a Luftwaffe Eurofighter was also flying over the Hochkalter "to support the rescuers with additional location technology and high-resolution aerial photographs," the BRK continued.
A Bundeswehr Eurofighter helped with the search on the Hochkalter.
© Bergwacht Ramsau
Hochkalter: Search for missing climber continues
It is planned for Thursday to search the area below the backpack, which was recovered that evening, with mountain rescuers in the area.
The young man from Lower Saxony slipped below the 2607 meter high summit on a high alpine tour on Saturday.
He made an emergency call because he could hardly hold himself up in the steep terrain in the freezing cold and snowstorm.
Since then all contact has been lost.
(came)
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