The eyewitness who was trapped in a gondola in the Stubaital last Tuesday – reported the “Krone” – met with representatives of the state of Tyrol and the mountain rescue team at the Landhaus in Innsbruck on Friday. It was a “constructive exchange” and further steps were agreed.
For everyone involved, it was challenging hours to endure on Tuesday due to the severe storm front – both for the emergency services and those affected. The eyewitness who contacted the “Krone” from a gondola criticized the rescue operation and spoke out in favor of a roundtable discussion with those responsible.
On Friday, just three days after the events of the Schlick 2000, the time had come: At the initiative of “Krone”, Elmar Rizzoli, the country’s crisis manager, and representatives of the mountain rescue service met the eyewitness at the manor. Assignments of blame were omitted. Both parties presented their point of view in an hour and a half and tried to put themselves in the shoes of the other. It became clear that perceptions differed in part – which is in the nature of things – and that all parties were taking something away.
“Incredibly Challenging”
“This day was incredibly challenging for all mountain rescuers due to the many operations throughout Tyrol within a very short time frame and the extreme conditions. We don’t often have days like this. We are proud of every member of the mountain rescue service who has committed,” said the mountain rescuers, “in the Schlick 2000 alone we were deployed with 52 mountain rescuers. Furthermore, 37 paramedics, two emergency doctors, four members of the crisis intervention team and two helicopters were present. And we were able to the terrestrial rescue of the 42 people was carried out extremely quickly under these conditions – no one was injured.”
“There was no information for us”
The eyewitness, on the other hand, emphasized that he had not seen all these mountain rescuers. “We were never asked by anyone if we were hurt or want to talk about what we went through.” His main point of criticism: “In the four hours we were detained, there was no information.” He also came up with suggestions for improvement: “You could put a QR code in the gondolas. If you scan it with your mobile phone, you will immediately get details about the mission. And you could, for example, set up a psychological service that communicates with the imprisoned people and calms them down.”
„We have to think about it now.”
Rizzoli agreed: “We need to think quickly and intensively about how to improve communication with those affected on the ground in such exceptional situations. I will also present this to the affected system partners. And he supported the emergency services: “They have mastered all rescue techniques to perfection. It is true that these always take time. You are limited somewhere. We are also blessed in terms of the number of emergency services compared to other countries.”
At the beginning of September he will contact the eyewitness again and tell him what has happened so far and what the next steps will be.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
