20. 04. 10. - 12:00

Italian priest rescued after Tyrol hiking accident

A 70-year-old Italian priest was hospitalised with serious spine injuries after falling in the Tyrol mountains.

The man was found by a helicopter team near Kronburg castle last night (Mon) hours after colleagues waiting at their Zams hotel reported the priest missing to local authorities.

The hiking priest said he had plunged several metres after slipping in a pathless area after getting lost. He is now recovering in a local clinic.

Hundreds of hikers are hospitalised in the Austrian Alps while dozens lose their lives in the mountains every year.

Mountain rescue service officials have appealed to tourists never to go on trips on their own, not to leave marked paths, wear proper equipment and return in good time before dusk.