Tragic accident at Reintal: Woman drowns, children have to watch

Tragic accident at Reintal: Woman drowns, children have to watch

A tragic mountain accident occurred on Wednesday, August 13th, in Reintal near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. A group of eight hikers, who were traveling under the guidance of a mountain guide, made their way to the Zugspitze. The planned overnight stay in the Reintalangerhütte was intended to prepare for the summit climb the next day. At around 8:00 p.m. some members of the group took the opportunity to go to the source of the Partna and refresh themselves in the cool water.

At that moment, the accident led to a shocking incident: a 49-year-old woman from Speyer could no longer stay afloat in a pool. Her 48-year-old husband and the mountain hiking guide immediately jumped to help. Tragically, both were swept away by the current and fell over a nearby waterfall into the Partnach. While the mountain hiking guide was able to save himself, he could not prevent the accident from having fatal consequences.

Rescue efforts and tragedy

The hut landlord immediately alerted the Garmisch-Partenkirchen mountain rescue service, and a short time later two rescue helicopters were on site to provide first aid to the injured in the total darkness. Unfortunately, the 49-year-old woman succumbed to her serious injuries in hospital that night. Her husband also suffered serious injuries from the fall.

A profound aspect of this incident is the trauma suffered by the couple's two children and another child as a result of witnessing this horrific accident. They received support from the mountain rescue service on site and were accompanied into the valley. A crisis intervention team from the Bavarian Mountain Rescue Service took care of the affected children and also looked after the husband of the deceased. Relatives from Baden-Württemberg made their way to Garmisch-Partenkirchen to offer support during this difficult time.

Emergency services and investigations

A total of 13 emergency services from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen mountain rescue service were on duty, including four mountain rescue emergency doctors. The operation lasted until around 2:30 a.m., when the final rescue measures were completed. The Alpine task force of the Upper Bavaria South Police Headquarters has started investigating the exact cause of the accident.

The tragedy that occurred today in Garmisch-Partenkirchen will affect the affected families and the entire community for a long time. Emergency services and the mountain rescue service were quickly on the scene, but the memories of this terrible incident will remain.