Cause of accident unclear

Swimmer (85) recovered dead after falling into Lake Traunsee

Water rescuers rescued the 85-year-old from a depth of five meters(Bild: ÖWR)

Why an 85-year-old man suddenly fell into the Traunsee on Tuesday afternoon while working on his property in Traunkirchen (Upper Austria) remains a mystery for the time being. Unfortunately, the man could only be recovered dead. There are also no witnesses to the incident. 

The accident is believed to have happened at around 2.30 pm. The 85-year-old had been cleaning the submerged stone slabs at the lake access point. For unexplained reasons, he suddenly lost his footing and fell into the lake.

Wife raised the alarm
His wife was in the house at the time and could not see the incident. When she came back outside, her husband had disappeared. She immediately suspected that he might be underwater and raised the alarm. Two water rescue boats, the Gmunden police boat and the Traunkirchen fire department took part in the search for the missing man in the lake. To be on the safe side, police officers also searched for the pensioner on land.

Despite resuscitation
A lifeguard from the ÖWR rescue boat in Gmunden was able to locate the 85-year-old a short time later in around five meters of water and bring him to shore, where the boat crew immediately began resuscitation measures. A defibrillator was also used.

The still motionless person was handed over to the emergency doctor and the crew of the Martin 3 rescue helicopter, who arrived quickly. Unfortunately, all efforts were unsuccessful. The emergency doctor could only determine that the man had died.