In the Dachstein massif

Writer Bodo Hell missing since Friday

Bodo Hell was only awarded the Styrian Literature Prize this year.(Bild: Sigrid Landl / Droschl Verlag)

The great writer Bodo Hell is missing! He spends the summer on the Grafenbergalm in the Dachstein massif - but since Friday there has been no trace of the Salzburg native. A large-scale search operation has now been launched. A search has been underway in the Upper Austrian part of the region since Monday.

The well-known Austrian writer Bodo Hell is missing. He has spent his summers in a hut on the Grafenbergalm in the Dachstein massif for decades. Because an acquaintance had been unable to make contact with him since Friday, he became skeptical. He climbed up to the hut to look for Hell - but in vain.

Police assume an accident
On Sunday morning, that friend reported him missing to the Haus im Ennstal police station - police spokesman Heimo Kohlbacher confirms that an 81-year-old is missing from the Grafenbergalm. "It is suspected that he went hiking. We assume an accident and have launched a large-scale search operation," he says.

"No indication of whereabouts so far"
Around 100 helpers are involved in the operation. Mountain rescuers, the army, fire departments, the Red Cross, police and even police helicopters are on site. But so far, unfortunately, there is no good news: "So far, there is no indication of his whereabouts," says Kohlbacher.