Tragic death

“Thank you Sami, you will be missed” – Mourning on the Rax

Comrades and friends are shocked by the tragic death of the popular mountain rescuer and hut warden Sami B. He died on the descent from the Ottohaus.(Bild: Doris Seebacher, Bergrettung NÖ, Krone KREATIV)

These lines are not easy for us to write, as we are deeply saddened by the sudden death of our comrade Sami. This is how the emotional report by the Reichenau mountain rescue team about their mission on Wednesday begins - as reported by the "Krone" newspaper.

The evening before, at around 8.10 pm, the emergency services received a missing person report. Sami B., manager of the Ottohaus hut on the Raxplateau, had not arrived home after working at the hut. A search operation was immediately launched with more than 20 mountain rescuers from the Reichenau branch, including a dog team from the Alpine Police and the drone team from the mountain rescue service and police. "Several teams searched the ascents and descents on the eastern part of the Rax in icy temperatures and darkness," reports the mountain rescue team. At around 3.30 a.m., the search had to be interrupted.

A new attempt was then made in daylight and the search continued with nine search teams.

At around 8.20 a.m. and after 16 hours of work, the sad certainty: Sami B. was found dead below the southern cliffs of the Rax plateau by the mountain rescue team's own friends. "Our comrade had fallen a total of more than 35 meters over rocks and rock-covered snow," says the mountain rescue team, describing the mission.

"We are not just losing a comrade, we are losing a person with a big heart in Sami. Thank you for 15 years of voluntary work, thank you for 20 years of cooperation at the Ottohaus. We will miss you," they say.