Crashed on the mountain

Dog alerted hikers to dead master

The accident happened on the so-called Holzeralm in Spital am Pyhrn.(Bild: Bergrettung OÖ)

The barking of a dog alerted hikers to a tragic accident in the area of the Gowilalm in Spital am Pyhrn (Upper Austria) on Saturday. A search operation that was then launched quickly discovered a missing hiker - however, the 49-year-old could only be recovered dead. The alpinist had fallen in steep terrain.

Several hikers heard a dog barking and whimpering in the area of the Gowilalm in Spital am Pyhrn on Saturday. At the same time, a hut owner filed a report because a car had been abandoned since the lecture. The emergency services concluded that a hiker had gone missing.

Barking limited the search radius
The mountain rescue team, police and emergency helicopter then began the search. The radius was narrowed down by the dog barking, allowing the rescue helicopter to quickly locate the alpinist. However, the emergency doctor who rappelled down was only able to determine that he had died. A 49-year-old from the district of Amstetten in Lower Austria had a fatal accident on the so-called Holzeralm.

It is not yet entirely clear when and where he slipped. However, he fell at least 50 meters over steep terrain.

Johannes Breithofer, Einsatzleiter der Bergrettung Spital am Pyhrn

Crashed at least 50 meters
"It's not yet entirely clear when and where he slipped. But he fell at least 50 meters over steep terrain," reports Johannes Breithofer, head of operations at Spital am Pyhrn Mountain Rescue. His team was only able to rescue the tragically injured alpinist's dog.