Hiker falls around 80 meters – extensive rescue operation in Frankenfels

At around 7:35 p.m., the 45-year-old companion, who was walking roughly "zwei bis drei Meter voraus", heard a dull thud. "Er stieg daraufhin zum Verunfallten ab, leistete Erste Hilfe und rief die Rettung", police added. His neighbor had "aus bisher unbekannter Ursache rund 70 bis 80 Meter über felsdurchsetztes Waldgelände abgestürzt".

Hergang des Sturzes

Mountain rescue Kirchberg/Pielach and the Frankenfels fire department were dispatched to the accident site in the Falkensteinmauer area. "Es galt, einen abgestürzten Wanderer im Bereich Falkensteinmauer zu retten", as the mountain rescue service reported. Because the terrain is difficult to access, the emergency vehicles could only drive as far as a forest road – "danach mussten die Helfer die letzte steile Strecke zu Fuß zurücklegen".

The Frankenfels volunteer fire department deployed with special equipment, according to its own statements. "Die Feuerwehr machte sich mit Korbschleiftragen, Motor-Kettensägen und Höhenrettungs-Ausrüstung auf den Weg", it said. A total of 17 firefighters were deployed. The mountain rescuers took over the initial care of the seriously injured patient and carried out the evacuation from the steep terrain.

Aufwendige Bergung im Steilgelände

The patient was then transported together with the Frankenfels volunteer fire department around 50 meters overland to a lighter patch of forest, or rather to a small clearing, "von der aus eine Taubergung mittels Hubschrauber möglich war, berichtete die Bergrettung". From there, the emergency medical helicopter "Christophorus 15" was deployed, which rescued the Lower Austrian by rope. "Der Notarzt des Rettungshubschraubers versorgte den Schwerverletzten".

After the successful rope rescue, the injured man could be given further medical care on a nearby mountain meadow. According to police, those deployed included mountain rescue Kirchberg/Pielach, Christophorus 15, the alpine police Lilienfeld, and the police Kirchberg/Pielach. The team of ÖAMTC Christophorus Flugrettung C15 also supported the further care.

Transport ins Spital

"Der Schwerverletzte wurde in das Universitätsklinikum St. Pölten geflogen", the mountain rescue service said. Police also confirmed: "Nach einer ärztlichen Zwischenversorgung auf einer Wiese hat man ihn ins Uniklinikum nach St. Pölten geflogen".

The entire rescue operation lasted around 90 minutes. There are still no confirmed findings on the exact circumstances of the accident – according to police, the cause of the fall is "bisher unbekannt".

In addition to the hiker, a climbing accident in the "Guter Hirte" area at the Falkensteinmauer was also initially reported as the trigger for the operation on Thursday. When the fire department arrived at the scene, the injured climber was already being treated by the crew of the Christophorus 15 rescue helicopter and the Kirchberg an der Pielach mountain rescue service.