Tragic pedal boat accident: father and son found dead after search

Tragic pedal boat accident: father and son found dead after search

A terrible pedal boat accident on Eibsee, more precisely at the foot of the Zugspitze, has deeply shocked the region. A 33-year-old father and his 6-year-old son were missing since July 5, 2025 after the boy fell into the water and the father jumped in to save him. Both of them no longer appeared in the depths of the lake, which was around 33 meters deep. It is tragic that the bodies had to be recovered on July 12, 2025 at a depth of around 24 meters and under extremely difficult conditions. The fr.de reports that police divers tracked down the bodies.

The affected family comes from the Haßberge district in Lower Franconia. Also on board the pedal boat were the 34-year-old mother and a four-year-old daughter, who are now receiving psychological care. Around 70 helpers from the water rescue service, police, fire brigade and the Bavarian Red Cross were involved in the search operation, which began on July 5th after an emergency call at 11:15 a.m. But the weather conditions themselves, with rain and thunderstorms, made the entire operation considerably more difficult. The search was stopped for the first time on Sunday evening, but it was restarted on Monday morning due to urgent hope, as br.de reported.

The challenges underwater

It was discovered that there are strong underwater currents at the Eibsee, which further complicated the search efforts. In addition, the visibility for the divers was only around three to five meters, which made identifying the missing people extremely difficult. The police have so far found no evidence of foul play. An unclear question remains whether the boy was wearing a life jacket, as there is no general requirement to wear life jackets on pedal boats.

A call for caution

The incident contributes to the critical discussion about water safety and the dangers of swimming accidents in Bavaria. Since June 1, 2025, there have been 27 fatal swimming accidents in the Free State, which accounts for 40% of the swimming deaths in 2024. DLRG President Ute Vogt once again appealed to make life jackets and life jackets mandatory, especially for children. She encourages water sports enthusiasts to always exercise caution and be aware of their own swimming abilities. A central point, as the reporting by merkur.de shows, is the formation of risk groups - children and young men in particular often seem to get into critical situations.

In recent weeks, numerous media outlets have reported on further swimming accidents in Bavarian waters. This clearly shows that the topic of education in swimming skills and education about the risks of natural lakes is not only necessary, but urgent. Many bathers overestimate their abilities or underestimate the dangers that natural waters can pose.

This tragic incident at Eibsee should wake us all up and remind us that safety must be our top priority when swimming and doing water sports. A Bavarian proverb says it aptly: “Caution is the mother of the china box”.