Details of the drama

Professional diver (55) drowned while searching for balls

Eight fire departments and the water rescue service searched the lake in Feldkirchen for the victim.(Bild: Markus Schütz)

His girlfriend was watching a diver (55), who was trying to retrieve golf balls from the adjacent course in the Mühldorfweiher pond in Feldkirchen an der Donau, from the shore when suddenly there were no more air bubbles to be seen. She immediately raised the alarm. Unfortunately, all help came too late for the 55-year-old.

Eight fire departments and the water rescue service were called out at around 5 p.m. on Sunday to search for the 55-year-old - a professional diver with the fire department - in the freezing water. Boats and searchlights illuminated the lake and rescue divers jumped in. Around half an hour later, they came across the 55-year-old Perger at a depth of four to five meters, around 20 meters from the shore.

The paramedics on land tried everything they could to bring the injured professional diver back to life. Unfortunately, however, all attempts at resuscitation on this Sunday were unsuccessful.

The rescue team did everything they could to find the diver as quickly as possible.(Bild: Markus Schuetz)

Diver was looking for golf balls
The Mühldorfweiher, a former quarry pond not far from the Feldkirchen bathing lakes, is particularly popular with anglers. A golf course borders the pond. The 55-year-old was diving for missed balls on Sunday and had already released a full bag of golf balls before the accident.

Around half an hour after the professional had started his dive, his girlfriend realized that the 55-year-old was having problems and called the emergency services. The cause of the terrible accident is still unclear. A health emergency is just as conceivable as a mechanical trigger.