Mysterious background

Body found in river Raab in southern Burgenland

A female swimmer discovered a male corpse in the Raab. The lifeless body had become entangled in one of the branches.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

A female swimmer discovered a male body in the River Raab in the district of Jennersdorf in Burgenland on Friday afternoon. Details of the cause of death and the identity of the man are not yet known, according to police on Saturday. The investigation is ongoing.

The woman who discovered the lifeless body alerted the emergency services at around 1.30 p.m. on Friday. The fire department, a drone and the police helicopter were deployed in the search for the body.

Helicopter in action
After the crew of the helicopter had finally located the body, the man was rescued from the water by the fire department. The lifeless body was probably caught between the branches (see photo below).

A female swimmer discovered a male corpse in the Raab. The lifeless body had become entangled in one of the branches.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

(Bild: Christian Schulter)

The public prosecutor's office in Eisenstadt ordered the body to be confiscated. An autopsy was ordered. 

No missing person in the area
Identifying the body is likely to prove difficult as the victim had no papers on him. In addition, the person had probably been floating in the water for several weeks as they were no longer recognizable. It is still unclear whether this is a flood victim or similar. In any case, no one in the area had ever been reported missing. 

Now the search in the missing persons database will follow - and also in Styria, as the Raab has its source there. "We are not ruling anything out," said police spokesman Helmut Marban on Saturday.