Accident on Lake Constance

Boats collided on Lake Constance: woman died

All help came too late for a German woman (symbolic image).(Bild: Wasserpolizei)

Highly dramatic scenes took place on Lake Constance in Vorarlberg on Saturday afternoon. A motorboat collided with a sailing boat at high speed. While a man was able to save himself by jumping into the water, a woman suffered extremely serious injuries and died shortly afterwards.

According to the police, the terrible accident occurred shortly after 3.30 pm. A motorboat with four Austrians on board had raced at high speed towards the sailing boat, which was carrying a man and a woman from Germany.

While the man was still able to react and save himself by jumping into the water, the woman probably noticed the boat too late.

"As a result, the collision occurred at undiminished speed," said the executive. The impact was so violent that the sailing boat capsized and was completely destroyed. 

All help came too late for a German woman (symbolic image).(Bild: Wasserpolizei)

Victim floating in the water
Emergency services were quickly on the scene. They discovered the seriously injured German woman floating in the water and brought her to safety. However, first aid measures were unsuccessful. The woman's injuries were ultimately too severe and she died. 

The arriving emergency services treated the shocked victims - all of whom were uninjured. Care was provided by the crisis intervention team. The exact circumstances of the accident are still under investigation.

In addition to two fire boats, two water rescue boats and a police boat were deployed, as was a rescue helicopter. The motorboat and the wrecked sailing boat were towed ashore.