3 deaths in one week

Hiking season takes its toll on Styrian Alpine Police

71 police officers in Styria are specially trained for alpine terrain. The Libelle police helicopter is stationed at Thalerhof.

(Bild: Alpinpolizei/Huber)

The Styrian Alpine Police are currently in constant action: since the start of the summer, they have been called out on 95 missions - seven hikers could only be recovered dead. The dramatic cases of the past week show the important work of the emergency services. A look behind the scenes.

Last Wednesday, a 62-year-old mountaineer did not return from his hike in the Gesäuse - he could only be rescued dead. On Sunday afternoon, a 30-year-old man was then killed: He fell 100 meters to his death in front of his girlfriend in the Schladminger Tauern. Just two days later, on Tuesday, a Styrian Alpine Club group returned from the Großvenediger with one less member.

And then there is the desperate search for the writer Bodo Hell near the Grafenbergalm in the Dachstein region: the experienced alpine dairyman has been missing since Friday, and on Wednesday the search operation was reduced to a minimum. Behind every story like the one in the newspaper, there are grieving families on the one hand - but also the tireless commitment of professional and volunteer emergency services on the other.

A large number of emergency services have been searching for Bodo Hell over the past few days - including the mountain rescue search dog team.

(Bild: Bergrettung Steiermark)

It is precisely these teams that are currently not resting, reports Heimo Kohlbacher from the Styrian police. As a former mountain rescuer and alpine police officer, he knows the "dangerous nature of the mountains", as he calls them. Since June 1st of this year, the Styrian mountains have already claimed seven lives and injured 72 people. In total, the Alpine Police have recorded 95 incidents in the hiking season so far.

A race against time
With four task forces in Deutschlandsberg, Liezen, Murtal and Hochsteiermark, they are always notified when the Alpine emergency number 140 is dialed. "But as a hiker, you can always dial any emergency number," says Kohlbacher. "We almost always carry out our missions together with the mountain rescue service - and often also with the ambulance service, fire department or army, especially in the case of missing persons," he continues.

We do this professionally. But other emergency organizations do it on a voluntary basis.

Heimo Kohlbacher, Pressesprecher Polizei Steiermark

Alpine missions are often a race against time. The Libelle police helicopter also plays a crucial role here: it usually arrives to rescue uninjured people or bodies. The Red Cross helicopters take care of injured people. In addition, both the mountain rescuers and the 71 Styrian Alpine police officers - including nine women - have dog teams at their disposal.

Kohlbacher makes an appeal so that the entire command does not have to be deployed even more often than it already is: "Please always be prepared for the respective tour!" This is because the greatest potential danger is still a lack of adaptation to the weather, equipment and experience. "Self-assessment is important. You shouldn't be a hero," says Kohlbacher.