In this case, rescue came by boat. A 63-year-old man from the Mühlviertel floated helplessly in the middle of the Danube in Linz and could only cling to his overturned rowing boat with great difficulty. The police dragged the man onto their boat.
On Monday at 2:58 pm during the field service with the police boat “Lentia”, a radio message was heard from a freighter. Specifically, the master reported there that he could see a person floating in the water at the Nibelung Bridge. This is a capsized rower. It now floats in the middle of the valley in the fairway towards the new railway bridge.
Ten degrees cold water
The police boat was at that time near the Bergweg bridge. The crew received the radio message from the ship and made an operational trip to this section with the police boat. The police officers noticed a male person clinging to a capsized rowboat, sliding repeatedly into the approximately 10-degree cold water and clearly waving for help. The rowboat with the person clinging to it drifted down the valley and the police boat went to the rower in distress.
Soaked and chilled
The completely drenched and hypothermic man, a 63-year-old from the Urfahr area, was secured by the crew of the Lentia and taken to the recovery platform of the police boat. The rowing boat was secured and the 63-year-old was removed from the water. The man stated that he tried to avoid a freighter, but his rudder hit the outboard side of the freighter, causing him to capsize sideways and then float in the water next to his boat.
The movement of the freighter caused the waves to push him into the center of the fairway and he was unable to turn his boat around. So he just clung to the boat’s hull and helplessly drifted down the valley until he was rescued by the police boat. After first aid from the ÖRK, no injuries could be found and the athlete was able to continue his journey.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
