A walker (31) from Vienna fell into the ice-cold Salza near Mariazell with dogs and was washed into a cave. A Styrian mountain rescuer became a hero in need. He describes the spectacular rescue operation to the “Krone”.
A spectacular rescue operation with a large number of emergency services took place near Mariazell on Saturday afternoon: hikers had heard calls for help near the Salza and discovered a woman with a dog in a hollow in the river. A dog did not make it, according to the police walking two dogs, one of which got caught in the current of the river. When trying to get the animal out, the woman herself was caught in the torrential waters and pushed into a cave together with her four-legged friend. Unfortunately, the second dog must have drowned. For the emergency services, a complicated rescue operation and a race against time began in view of the strong current and the impassable terrain. Fire brigade divers were requested, but because the condition of the woman in the ice-cold water threatened to deteriorate rapidly, mountain rescuer Thomas Strasser went on the offensive himself and drove into the cave in a small inflatable boat, secured with a rope crouched with her dog in a bay of the pitch-dark cave and trembled all over. With the current, she would never have gotten out of there on her own,” the Upper Styrian tells the “Krone”. He brought the 31-year-old and her dog out of the cave by boat and with the support of the fire brigade to shore. The woman was flown to a hospital by helicopter with severe hypothermia and shock. Her sister took care of the rescued dog. Thank God it turned out well,” lifesaver Strasser was relieved.
