German in an accident

Two fatal accidents in Carinthia’s mountains

One of the accidents happened on the Emberger Alm.(Bild: Hannes Wallner)

Two hiking trips came to a terrible end on Friday: two holidaymakers from Germany died in separate accidents in the Carinthian mountains.

A 55-year-old hiker from Germany had an accident on the Emberger Alm. He was hiking with other members of an alpine club along the Kreuzeckhöhenweg from the Feldnerhütte in the direction of the Emberger Alm. According to the police, the day's stages were organized by a hiking guide and the participants walk from one accommodation to the next on their own responsibility.

Shortly after midday, the 55-year-old slipped below the Grafische Tristen at an altitude of around 2,400 meters - he fell from the narrow and marked hiking trail about 100 meters over steep terrain into a rocky gully. A female companion made an emergency call and climbed down to the fallen man to provide first aid.

However, all help came too late for him. The emergency doctor from the C7 rescue helicopter was only able to determine that the 55-year-old had died.

Fatal fall in Garnitzenklamm gorge
Almost at the same time, a rescue operation was also underway in the Gailtal valley following a fatal fall: a hiker - also from Germany - fell to his death in the Garnitzenklamm gorge, a popular hiking route. The man was hiking with his partner. During the hike, she noticed that her husband was no longer walking behind her.

When she walked back along the hiking trail, she found the man seriously injured below the path next to a stream bed. Resuscitation efforts by the woman and subsequently by the emergency doctor from the ARA 3 rescue helicopter were unsuccessful - the man succumbed to his serious injuries on the spot.

Investigations revealed that the 55-year-old fell about 25 meters over steep and rocky terrain for unknown reasons.