Work increased sharply

Rescuers pulled 45 people out of the water alive

The water rescuers spent 73,000 hours on alerts and technical operations.(Bild: Österreichische Wasserrettung, LV Salzburg)

Salzburg Water Rescue recorded many more missions in 2023 than in the previous year. These are the reasons.

Sad missions are part of the work of Salzburg's water rescuers. In 2023, they were only able to rescue 15 people dead from Salzburg's rivers and lakes. That is more than twice as many fatalities as in 2022.

On the other hand, the success story presented by the regional office of the Austrian Water Rescue Service is encouraging. The men and women were able to rescue a total of 45 people alive from bodies of water.

50 percent more missions
The rescuers had a lot more to do last year than the year before: the number of missions increased by around 50 percent to more than 400. Around a quarter of these were alarm missions. The remainder involved operations such as boat rescues or technical assistance.

More and more stand-up paddlers and divers
Water Rescue explains the rise in the number of call-outs with the trend towards exercise on the water. More and more recreational athletes are going stand-up paddling, kayaking or diving.

The volunteer members of the water rescue service spent 73,000 hours in the previous year, 6,000 more than in 2022.