Eternal search – a hundred people are missing in Lake Constance

The identities of the two recently found people were still unclear on Monday. On Saturday morning, a skipper discovered a male body two kilometers from the mouth of the Nieuwe Rijn. Because the site was located on German territory, the authorities there took over the investigation. There is currently no news on the case, it was said on Monday. On Saturday evening, three kayakers found a dead man in the water between Vorarlberg Hard and Lindau (Bavaria). It was said that he had probably been dead for more than six months. An autopsy has been ordered and will take place on Tuesday.

Fatal accidents happen every year in Lake Constance. Statistics show that a total of 15 fatal accidents occurred on the entire lake in 2023, 13 of which involved swimmers. It happens time and time again that people go missing on Lake Constance and remain so. There are currently 103 people missing. Ten long-term people in hiding have been registered in the past ten years, says Bernhard Aigner, commander of the Hard Maritime Police. A stand-up paddler who took to the lake near Lochau (Bregenz district) despite strong winds has been missing since August 2023. In January 2012, two fishermen were caught in a storm near Fußach and only their capsized boat was found. In both cases a day-long search was in vain.

Divers and pilots
“We are of course doing everything we can to find the people,” said Aigner. “Because for relatives, the uncertainty is the worst. We experience again and again how important the discovery of a deceased person is for the relatives to put an end to their grief.” In addition to swimmers and divers, victims of boat accidents and plane crashes are also among the missing, but people who were in the area with suicidal intentions have also risen.

If the location of the accident is known, a search with divers or underwater robots has a greater chance of success. Especially in the case of swimming accidents near the coast, the search area can easily be narrowed, says Aigner. However, the lake does not produce many bodies anymore, especially if the location or time of the accident is not clear, for example if an abandoned boat is found. Storms and currents in Lake Constance, which depend on the inflow of the Rhine and the wind, made the situation even more difficult. Missing persons are often driven far away from the scene of the accident.

Corpses at the bottom of the lake
“The biggest problem is the depth of the water,” Aigner explains. Due to the great depth of Lake Constance – on average 80 meters, but at the deepest point more than 250 meters – a thermally stable layer forms on the bottom at a water temperature of four degrees, which reduces decomposition or gas formation in a sunken body. From a depth of 50 meters, the water pressure keeps the body low. The resulting putrefaction gases were not enough to float the corpse to the surface. Some get stuck in submerged wood or plants and are covered by sediment.

Flooding as a factor
When the water layers of different temperatures are turned over in the seasonal circulation in autumn and spring, this process sometimes brings up what lies beneath. Missing persons can also reappear due to floods or storms. The fact that two dead people were found in a short time probably has to do with the recent flooding, Aigner said.

The marine police officer appealed to the common sense of sea users for the summer season that is now starting. The weather on Lake Constance can change quickly. “The storm warning is just a service, not a guarantee,” he emphasized. It is therefore important to pay attention to the weather forecast and to keep an eye on the weather during your stay on and in the lake: “Many people misjudge the danger!”