© Bergrettung Schwaz und Umgebung
A 55-year-old Belgian who went missing in the Austrian Alps has been found alive after three days. The local Austrian emergency service wrote this on social media. The hiker was injured in the leg, meaning he could no longer return to a mountain hut under his own power. He was severely hypothermic and had a body temperature of only 32 degrees.
The 55-year-old Belgian had already left Scharnitz last Sunday (October 29) to start a multi-day hike. The man had a telephone conversation with his brother on Thursday, that was the last he was heard from. On Saturday evening he was reported missing and the local mountain rescue service was called.
The emergency services on site immediately feared that it was a tragic accident. The first searches were initially unsuccessful, but good news came on Sunday morning: the Belgian was found alive during a search flight with the police helicopter at an altitude of approximately 1,100 meters.
(read more below the photo)
Austrian mountain rescuers are working in the region where the 55-year-old man was found. — © Bergrettung Schwaz und Umgebung
Miracle
The mountaineer was injured in the leg, exhausted and severely hypothermic. According to the emergency services, his body temperature was only 32 degrees. Due to his injury he was probably unable to continue climbing.
According to mountain rescuers, it is a miracle that the man survived several days in the Alps. At night, temperatures quickly drop below freezing, causing stranded mountaineers to lose consciousness from hypothermia. “The hiker was very well equipped,” said mountain rescuer Alfred Wallenta, “which probably saved the man’s life.”
© Bergrettung Schwaz und Umgebung
