After escape from UKH

Where has Salzburg’s hospital convict gone?

So far, an inmate has only managed to escape from the prison in Puch-Urstein once. However, escaped prisoners have repeatedly made it into the headlines of the Salzburg "Krone" newspaper in the past.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

There is still no trace of him: as reported, a Kosovar escaped during an examination at Salzburg Accident Hospital. The man is actually in custody. So far, only one prisoner has managed to escape from Puch-Urstein prison. 

Where is he? How was he able to disappear so quickly? These questions are still occupying the investigators almost two days later. As reported, an inmate (25) escaped on Tuesday during an X-ray examination at Salzburg Accident Hospital. The Kosovar took advantage of the opportunity and was able to shake off his prison guards after a short chase.

"The manhunt is still underway," the police at Puch-Urstein prison say in unison. The man is actually in custody - for several property offenses. He is generally considered "not dangerous".

The Kosovar escaped during an examination at the accident hospital(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

"Cases like this are extremely rare," says Chief Inspector Johannes Ebner from Puch-Urstein Prison. According to data from the Ministry of Justice in Salzburg, there has been one prison break and three so-called escapes since 2020. What is meant by this? These happen when inmates - as in the current case - have to be taken to an external hospital for examinations or work outside the prison walls.

A look at the Krone archives shows impressively that escaped convicts have repeatedly made the headlines.

• In 2019, an inmate escaped while on release. The police were finally able to catch Pongau in a hotel in Salzburg.

• The decomposed body of a man was found in an apartment in Salzburg-Taxham in June 2017. A prisoner on release was a strong suspect - he was friends with the deceased.

• A Moroccan also escaped from Salzburg Accident Hospital in 2012. The man was still wearing handcuffs when he broke away from his guards and ran off.

• A suspected rapist and robber managed to escape from the Christian Doppler Clinic in 2012.