Was severely hypothermic

78-year-old fell during a hike in Gosau

The mountain rescue team had to be deployed.

(Bild: P. Huber)

Major search operation on Friday evening for a fallen 78-year-old. The senior citizen slipped on his descent in the Gosau area at 8.30 pm and fell several meters down a slope. The man remained lying injured, but was able to alert his grandson with his cell phone. He was found two hours later, suffering from severe hypothermia.

A 78-year-old man from Steinbach am Attersee went on a hike alone on Friday in the direction of Sattelalm in the municipality of Gosau. On the descent, the man left the hiking trail at around 8.30 p.m. and ended up in rough, steep terrain. A short time later, he stumbled and fell a few meters down a slope.

Grandson notified
He sustained injuries of indeterminate severity and was unable to walk any further, which is why the pensioner reached for his cell phone and called his grandson. He immediately called the police. At around 8.50 pm, a search operation was launched involving the Gosau mountain rescue team, the Upper Austrian mountain rescue dog team, the fire department using a drone, the Bad Goisern police and the Gmunden Alpine police.

No information about the route
Initially, it was completely unclear where the accident victim was as he was unable to provide any information about his position or his planned route. As the man's vehicle was found in the parking lot of a hotel, the search began from there. The emergency services and the grandson repeatedly contacted the fallen man by telephone.

Taken to the valley on a stretcher
Finally, he was able to see the lights of a mountain rescue search team and make contact with them by phone. At around 10.30 p.m., the rescuers found him severely hypothermic and injured in the so-called Sattelgraben. After first aid on site, he was transported down to the valley on a universal stretcher and from there taken to the Salzkammergut Clinic in Bad Ischl by the rescue team.