23. 04. 10. - 16:00

Hiker in clinic after 50-metre Salzburg fall

A team of paramedics managed to rescue a hiker after he fell in a pathless area in Werfenweng, Salzburg, yesterday afternoon (Thurs).

Officials in the province’s Pongau region said today rescuers had to make it by foot to the man since a rescue helicopter could not have landed anywhere near the steep, forestry area he had injured himself.

A worker at a nearby construction site called rescuers after he witnessed the man’s 50-metre fall. The hiker was hospitalised at a hospital in Schwarzach. His condition is stable, according to doctors.

Hundreds of hikers are hospitalised and dozens lose their lives in the Austrian Alps 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 to reduce risks.