At a depth of ten meters
Missing persons in a lake cave: divers practise in an emergency
In the largest underground lake and in water temperatures of eight degrees Celsius, 25 professionals from the provincial fire brigade association were able to train in the search for missing persons.
It is one of the most extraordinary sights in Austria and has already been visited by more than 20 million guests. Most recently, however, the lake grotto near Hinterbrühl in the district of Mödling became a training ground for specially trained fire department divers. 25 firefighters from all over Lower Austria had to search for "missing persons" in the eight-degree water of Europe's largest underground lake.
Memories of an accident
The exercise was based on the assumption that several people had entered the former gypsum mine without permission and two of them had suddenly disappeared on the lowest level, where the 6,200 square meter lake is located. This also brought back memories of a real-life accident: almost exactly 20 years ago, a boat carrying 28 passengers capsized, killing four Germans and a Belgian woman.
Back to the exercise: to get into the water at all, all the equipment had to be carried 500 meters through a narrow passage into the mountain. The divers were supported by the Hinterbrühl fire department. "This would also happen in a real operation," explain the firefighters.
Many challenges
Three teams of three firefighters each searched the cave for previously hidden dolls. They also had to dive ten meters deep into a shaft. "Darkness, the lack of visibility and the cold water are the biggest challenges in a mission like this," say the professionals. An additional hurdle: Even the slightest movement clouds the water for several days due to the plaster dust that is stirred up.
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