During swimming event

62-year-old dies during Attersee crossing

400 athletes swam in the Attersee crossing(Bild: ASVÖ Atterseeüberquerung)

A medical emergency overshadows the 36th Attersee Crossing in Upper Austria. During the swimming event, in which 400 participants took part, one participant suffered a medical emergency. Although the other swimmers immediately raised the alarm, the rescue services were unable to save the life of the man from Mühlviertel.

It should have been a beautiful sporting event on the idyllic Attersee. But the 36th lake crossing, in which around 400 swimmers set off from Weyregg towards Lake Attersee at 8.30 am on Saturday, was overshadowed by a tragic incident.

Medical emergency
After around 20 minutes, a 62-year-old man from Mühlviertel suffered a medical emergency. Other swimmers who noticed the incident raised the alarm and the water rescue team pulled the unconscious man on board. The intensive resuscitation took an hour, and an emergency doctor and a rescue helicopter also rushed to the scene of the accident to provide assistance. Despite all efforts, the life of the man from Pfarrkirchen im Mühlkreis could not be saved.

The Attersee crossing took place for the 36th time(Bild: Attersee-Überquerung)

Helicopter in action
The long-running event was brought to an end. "Eight starters did not finish the competition," said Wolfram Hauser from the event's organizing team, who had to swim around 2.5 kilometers in the almost 24-degree water and the wind caused a strong swell. The fact that Andreas Roth (D) won in 37:14 minutes and Sophie Amesberger from Wels won the women's race in 39:23 minutes was, of course, a minor matter in view of the tragic incident.