On Tuesday, a 38-year-old mountain guide from Villach narrowly escaped death. He and two climbers from Styria were on their way to the top of Grossglockner when the 38-year-old was hit by a rock.
Villach’s trio were tied up along with a 62-year-old and a 21-year-old from the Bruck-Mürzzuschlag district of Styria in the upper Eisleitl at an altitude of about 3,680 meters when the accident happened suddenly. Wanting to climb the Grossglockner the normal way, the three weren’t alone either.
“Around 4 p.m., the 62-year-old received the signal ‘Stein’ from a leading group of climbers,” the police said. Unfortunately, the warning came too late. The boulder hit the mountain guide in the head and upper body.
Consciousness Lost and Nearly Fallen
After the stone hit him, the man from Villach briefly lost consciousness and fell about 10 meters into the rope that tied him to the other two. “Sliding on the approximately 40 degree steep terrain could only be prevented by the two Styrians with enormous effort,” the police are sure.
11 mountain guides rescued the injured
The landlord of the Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte, who is himself a mountain and ski guide, was alarmed. He, other mountain guides and a doctor who happened to be there rushed to help. They did not hesitate long and together climbed up to the injured and pinned him in the absolute crash area. “The doctor provided first aid and treated the heavily bleeding wound in the head area,” police said. Due to dense fog, a rescue operation with a helicopter was not possible for the time being.
Extensive and complicated rescue operation
Four mountain rescuers and two alpine police officers were flown by the police helicopter “Libelle Kärnten” under the Eisleitl to the so-called “Bahnhof” to pick up the injured there. “The innkeeper started a complex rescue on land with the mountain rescuers and the other mountain guides to take the injured to the train station,” police said. This rescue operation was hampered considerably by heavy falling rocks.
Shortly after 7 p.m., the helicopter crew managed to fly the seriously injured Villacher to the stopover at the Oberwalderhütte with a 10-minute time window and a rescue rope. He received medical care from the rescue helicopter team “Alpin Heli 6” and was then flown to the Kardinal Schwarzenberg clinic in Salzburg.
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.
