Missing person found

Becoming lifesavers while watching fireworks

The missing man from Gmunden had previously been searched for with search dogs, but in vain(Bild: ÖRHB)

Watching fireworks and toasting the New Year on the doorstep was a lifesaver in Gschwandt near Gmunden. The revelers found a 62-year-old man with severe dementia who was already suffering from hypothermia. He would not have survived the freezing cold night after searches for him had previously been unsuccessful.

The 62-year-old man with severe dementia, who went missing from his care home in Gmunden at around 3 p.m. on Old Year's Day, was threatened with the same fate as an 85-year-old man in Vöcklabruck after Christmas. He had also fallen, frozen to death and was only found by chance days later during a hunt.

Searched for with dogs and drones
Several police patrols, including a service dog patrol and a drone team, initially searched in vain for the 62-year-old, who had been missing several times before. Shortly after midnight, passers-by found the missing man by chance in the municipality of Gschwandt. He was already severely hypothermic and had suffered a minor injury from a fall. The 62-year-old was taken to Vöcklabruck Hospital.