Tragic Details

Three Friends Paddled to Their Deaths While High on Drugs

Nachrichten
26.06.2026 15:00

One day after the tragic discovery of three drowned friends in the Marchfeld Canal on the outskirts of Vienna, new details have now emerged. Since “various narcotics” were found on the bank, the young men are believed to have paddled to their deaths while high on drugs. Caught in the whirlpool of a weir, there was no escape for them…

Grief is deep among three families in the capital following the paddling tragedy in Gerasdorf on the outskirts of Vienna. As reported, the friends from Vienna—a 27-year-old Austrian, a 28-year-old Afghan, and another 29-year-old Austrian—drowned in the Marchfeld Canal, which normally flows sluggishly, while seeking relief from the heat.

The mother of the youngest had alerted the police after her son failed to check in following the outing last Monday. Divers from the volunteer fire department, who recovered the bodies, confirmed the worst fears.

A flood control structure (left) became a death trap for the three young men.
A flood control structure (left) became a death trap for the three young men.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Thomas Lenger/Monatsrevue, stock.adobe.com)

“Various drugs” and clothing were found on the bank
One thing is certain: the popular recreational trend of stand-up paddling proved to be the young men’s fatal undoing. Not far from the scene of the accident, clothing was found on the shore near the three boards in the area of a weir. And, as a spokesperson for the Lower Austria State Police confirmed, “various drugs.”

The Underestimated Danger of Weirs
Apparently, the three friends had paddled to their deaths while under the influence of drugs. Incidentally, weirs claim the lives of swimmers every year. It appears the young men wanted to paddle through them, which is strictly prohibited. The treacherous current and the powerful whirlpools are considered an underestimated danger. Once caught in the water’s grip, you are sucked into the foaming vortex—and there is no escape...

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

Loading...
00:00 / 00:00
Abspielen
Schließen
Aufklappen
kein Artikelbild
Loading...
Vorige 10 Sekunden
Zum Vorigen Wechseln
Abspielen
Zum Nächsten Wechseln
Nächste 10 Sekunden
00:00
00:00
1.0x Geschwindigkeit
Loading
Kommentare Banner - Die Stimme Österreichs

Willkommen in unserer Community! Eingehende Beiträge werden geprüft und anschließend veröffentlicht. Bitte achten Sie auf Einhaltung unserer Netiquette und AGB. Für ausführliche Diskussionen steht Ihnen ebenso das krone.at-Forum zur Verfügung. Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.

Hinweis in eigener Sache: Das krone.at-Forum präsentiert sich ab sofort in neuem Design! Wir freuen uns über konstruktives Feedback. Damit die Diskussionen in den Kommentarbereichen beim jeweiligen Thema bleiben, können Sie uns Rückmeldungen hier hinterlassen.

Kostenlose Spiele
Vorteilswelt

Magazine der Kronen Zeitung