Major search operation

83-year-old drowned while swimming in a pond

Fire department divers were only able to recover the man dead.

(Bild: fotokerschi.at)

The summer temperatures led to the first swimming fatality of the year on Tuesday. An 83-year-old man from Wels had gone swimming in the Großer Schacherteich pond in Kremsmünster (Upper Austria) and could only be rescued dead from the still cold water.

Just a few days ago, local water rescuers warned people not to go swimming in lakes and ponds in the summer temperatures because the water is still far too cold.

Man was out alone
This danger was probably also underestimated by an 83-year-old man from Wels, who had driven alone to the Großer Schacherteich (one of four ponds) near Kremsmünster. When the man still hadn't come home in the evening, his 80-year-old wife and a friend went looking for him.

They found the missing man's clothes on a jetty and the car was nearby. The two of them called the emergency services at around 9.30 pm.

Fire department divers were only able to recover the man dead.

(Bild: fotokerschi.at)

Divers found the body
In the end, nine fire departments were on the search with boats, drones and divers, supported by the police, who were on site with service dogs, and the Red Cross. Around midnight, it was a sad reality: divers were able to find the catfish's body in the pond and it was recovered. An autopsy is to be carried out today to determine the exact cause of death.