Now it's the court's turn

Phantom of the Zuckerhütl: police reveal the secret

The summit area immediately before the accident.

(Bild: zVg)

The Tyrolean police now know who caused the fatal alpine accident on the Zuckerhütl on April 6. One victim suffers permanent damage. The Innsbruck public prosecutor's office is investigating whether criminal conduct was involved.

On that Saturday, an unknown mountaineer unintentionally pushed an alpinist in a gully below the summit. As a result, five climbers fell and a South Tyrolean woman and her partner were injured. The 27-year-old will probably suffer permanent damage.

The perpetrator disappeared and investigators searched for the "phantom" from the Zuckerhütl. At first, it was not even clear whether the "phantom" was male or female. An appeal for witnesses in the "Krone" newspaper led to the man who triggered the chain reaction.

Soon after the appeal, the Tyrolean mountaineering couple from whom we were hoping to obtain information came forward.

Stephan Gröber, Alpinpolizei Neustift

Witness directly above the accident site
"The Tyrolean mountaineering couple we were hoping to get information from got in touch soon after the call," says Stephan Gröber, Alpine police officer in Neustift. The investigators hit the bull's eye. "Because the male witness was directly above the scene of the accident at the time of the accident and saw exactly what happened," says alpine police officer Gröber.

Twelve people who were involved in the accident or were able to provide information were finally questioned - including the person who caused the accident. The police did not provide any information about his origin. "The man did not attend to the injured because Stubai mountain rescuers happened to be on site to provide first aid," explains Stephan Gröber.

The ball is now in the public prosecutor's court
The police are now sending the report on the accident to the public prosecutor's office. "As with a traffic accident, negligent bodily harm could be involved," Gröber explains. It could also be a case of "abandoning injured persons". The public prosecutor is investigating whether criminal conduct was actually involved.