Wife went for help

German hiker fell 20 meters into the depths

Dramatic moments on a hike towards the Lienzer Hütte: a 69-year-old hiker suddenly toppled over and fell 20 meters before hitting a rock slab - in front of his wife.

A hike lasting several days by a German couple (aged 69 and 62) came to a tragic end: on Wednesday, the two experienced and well-equipped mountaineers had already hiked from Putschall (municipality of Großkirchheim) via the Gradental valley to the Adolf Noßberger Hütte. The vacationers spent the night there before setting off in the direction of the Lienzer Hütte on Thursday morning. 

Slipped into a crevasse after a 20-meter fall
"At around 1.20 p.m., the 69-year-old was holding onto a rope safety device with one hand and holding his hiking poles with the other," is how the police describe the incident. "For reasons as yet unknown, the man tipped onto his side, rolled over and fell almost 20 meters!" He hit a rock slab and slid into a crevice at the edge of a snow field.

No cell phone reception - woman called for help
The seriously injured man was no longer able to free himself - his wife climbed down to him and tried with all her might to pull him out of the crevasse - but to no avail. "When she was unable to do so and had no reception to make an emergency call, she decided to go back to the Adolf Noßberg hut and get help", as the provincial police directorate reports.

On the way there, she was finally able to make an emergency call and set the rescue chain in motion. "The 69-year-old was rescued by the C7 emergency helicopter team and flown to the hospital in Innsbruck with serious injuries."