Fatal chain reaction

Major rescue operation at St. Stephen’s Square in Vienna

Excitement on St. Stephen's Square in Vienna. As several members of a youth choir were hyperventilating, the worst was assumed. (archive picture)(Bild: Tobias Steinmaurer)

The collapse of several members of a French youth choir in Vienna's city center led to a large-scale operation by the Vienna Rescue Service on Sunday afternoon. 

Because it was not known exactly why the young people had collapsed, the emergency services were on the scene with 16 vehicles, according to a spokesperson for the rescue service. The collapse was probably related to the heat and lack of water. Three girls had to be taken to hospital.

Collapse during choir rehearsal
The choir was rehearsing in a building near Stephansplatz on Sunday. During the rehearsal, one of the choir singers collapsed. Other young people then started hyperventilating.

The large-scale operation was then initiated. The emergency services even set up a mobile control center because they suspected it could be a carbon monoxide accident. In the end, three of the 15 choir members were hospitalized. All the others received psychological support. The operation was brought to an end after one and a half hours.