Fatal bathing accident at Gänsehäufel: 39-year-old goes under in the Alte Donau

Rescue operation with divers and helicopter

Christian Feiler told oe24: "Wir sind mit allen verfügbaren Kräften vor Ort." According to Feiler, the 39-year-old could be recovered quickly: "Aufgrund der genauen Zielpunktangabe von Zeugen konnten wir den Mann in kürzester Zeit finden." How long he had been underwater before that remained initially unclear.

The Gänsehäufel on the Alte Donau is one of the best-known and most-visited outdoor pools in Vienna. On hot summer days, it draws thousands of Viennese residents and tourists to the expansive facility. The eastern beach is one of the particularly popular sunbathing areas and borders directly on the water.

Background: The Gänsehäufel on the Alte Donau

Rescue operations at the Gänsehäufel are not uncommon during hot summers. The combination of high water temperatures, large numbers of visitors, and sometimes confusing shoreline areas regularly poses challenges for the emergency services. The City of Vienna always refers in such cases to the applicable bathing bans outside the marked areas.

The case evokes memories of earlier bathing accidents in Vienna's waters, which especially in summer repeatedly become the focus of reporting by the city's rescue services. On the morning of the same Sunday, there had also been two e-bike accidents with serious injuries, as other media reported — an indication that Vienna's rescue services were called upon multiple times that day.

Investigations into the circumstances

The exact circumstances under which the father went under are still the subject of investigations. Whether a medical emergency, a cramp, or another trigger played a role was initially not known. The Vienna Professional Fire Brigade and the police have begun their investigations.

The incident casts a shadow over the start of this year's bathing season in Vienna. Experience shows that the Gänsehäufel is heavily frequented in the coming weeks. The authorities are calling on swimmers not to leave the designated swimming areas and to keep a constant eye on children and relatives.

In the case of the missing 24-year-old from the evening, the search operations continued on Sunday night. Whether he could be found was unclear as of editorial deadline. According to their own statements, the fire brigade remained deployed into the night.