“With the unfavorable conditions, it was not a day for a long-distance hike in the Schladminger Tauern – Thomas Kaserer and his mountain rescue colleagues had to search for hours into the night on Monday in Upper Styria for a hiker who had fallen. She could be saved.
At around 17:00 the owner of the Preintalerhütte (1,656 metres above sea level) alerted the mountain rescue team. According to initial information, a person fell 200 metres over a snowfield in the area of the 2,326-metre-high Rettingscharte and was seriously injured. The hut owner had been informed by a companion of the accident victim.
Rescue workers had to climb up on foot
“The weather conditions were not ideal. We tried to reach the emergency location by helicopter, but unfortunately that did not work. The first rescue teams in the mountains, including our doctor, were then brought by helicopter to the fog line,” says operations manager Thomas Kaserer, describing the challenges. From there, the rescuers climbed 500 meters on foot.
Meanwhile, the other emergency services, with the support of the Untertal/Rohrmoos volunteer fire brigade, were transported as far as possible over passable roads. They then had to walk for about three hours to the scene of the accident.
Search from both sides
At the same time, the mountain rescuers from Kleinsölk also set off from the other side of the valley in appalling weather conditions. “We didn’t know the exact location of the emergency, so we had to try to reach the injured hiker as quickly as possible from both sides,” says Kaserer. “We managed to arrange another shuttle flight that brought us not only mountain rescuers, but also a special stretcher and ropes up the mountain.”
Condition of both hikers critical
After almost two and a half hours, the injured hiker was located by the first mountain rescue teams. The doctor and mountain rescuer treated the hiker, who was severely hypothermic and injured. She was then taken to the Preintaltalerhütte. There, the condition of her companion also deteriorated. “Her condition was critical. Shortly after sunset, the medical emergency helicopter Christophorus 14 from ÖAMTC had to be called,” said operations manager Thomas Kaserer.
A total of 37 emergency services from the Schladming and Kleinsölk mountain rescue services were supported in this operation by the Untertal/Rohrmoos fire brigade, the Alpine police and the helicopter crews.
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.
