Emergency on Zugspitze – 21-year-old leaves young people in the snow at an altitude of 2,500 meters

After rescuing a 17-year-old from the Zugspitze, the Austrian police set their sights on her 21-year-old companion. According to the police, the young man from Bavaria left the teenager from Baden-Württemberg alone in the snow at an altitude of around 2,500 meters. A spokesman for the Tyrolean police told the German Press Agency that an investigation was being carried out on suspicion of a threat to physical safety. “Spiegel” had previously reported.

According to the information, the mountaineer friends set out from Ehrwald in Austria at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday to see the sunrise on Germany's highest mountain on the border between Bavaria and Tyrol. But because of the wintry weather, they didn't make it to the 2,962 meter high summit. It was snowing and the temperature was minus 12 degrees, as a mountain rescuer told the dpa. According to the police, some of the mountaineers sank in knee-high snow.

They separated - the 17-year-old stayed behind and made an emergency call, while the 21-year-old got off alone. The police spokesman did not provide any information on how the two explained this step and whether it was a joint decision and referred to the ongoing investigation.

The teenager was rescued by Austrian emergency services in a police helicopter. She was hypothermic and was taken to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Clinic. She was able to leave the hospital unharmed after an initial examination. In Austria, anyone who endangers the physical safety of another person can be punished with up to three months in prison.