Preventing dramas

Expert explains: Death from cold comes painlessly

Extreme cold can quickly become dangerous, with the risk of severe hypothermia and frostbite.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Jelena Stanojkovic)

In extremely cold weather, frostbite or hypothermia can occur relatively quickly outdoors. An expert explains what happens in the body, how you can protect yourself and why it is even possible to freeze to death at temperatures ten degrees above freezing.

Time and again, people die from cold-related causes such as accidents or misconduct in the mountains. Just like a 33-year-old woman from Salzburg who recently tried to climb the Grossglockner with her boyfriend - as reported by "Krone". Prim. Dr. Alexander Egger, Chief Physician at the Austrian Mountain Rescue Association, spoke to Krone+ about when cold becomes dangerous, which fatal combination reduces the chance of survival and how to act correctly in an emergency.