Berchtesgaden Alps
Missing climber on the Hochkalter: Eurofighter in action
After another search operation on the Hochkalter, rescue workers return to Ramsau near Berchtesgaden. photo
© Kilian Pfeiffer/dpa
A climber has disappeared in the Berchtesgaden Alps since Saturday. The 24-year-old had made an emergency call after a slip. The search turns out to be difficult.
A Bundeswehr Eurofighter was also used in the search for the mountaineer who died on the Hochkalter in the Berchtesgaden Alps.
The Eurofighter supported the rescuers with positioning technology and high-resolution aerial photos late on Wednesday afternoon, the Bavarian Red Cross announced on Thursday morning. The backpack of the missing 24-year-old was also found on Wednesday. Because the area was surrounded by clouds after the backpack was found, no other mountain rescuers could be flown to the site for a more comprehensive search for the time being. Mountain rescuers should now search the area below the salvaged backpack on Thursday.
Young man slipped on Saturday
The young man from Lower Saxony slipped below the 2607 meter high summit on a high alpine tour on Saturday. He made an emergency call because he could hardly hold himself up in the steep terrain in the freezing cold and snowstorm. Since then all contact has been lost. It was impossible to search for him for days on foot or by helicopter because of the snowstorm and the corresponding risk of avalanches in the steep, high-Alpine terrain. Good weather should finally prevail on Thursday.