Belgian man dies after fall in Austrian alps

A 22-year-old Belgian hiker has died following a fall in the Austrian Alps, local rescue services have confirmed.

The man had been hiking with a relative in the mountains near Saalbach-Hinterglemm on Wednesday. At around 2:30 p.m., the pair separated, and the young man continued on his own. He intended to climb the Geißstein and then descend towards Lengau. When his relative was unable to reach him around 8:00 p.m., emergency services were alerted.

Mountain rescue teams, search dogs, and a helicopter were deployed. “The missing man was found at 11:00 p.m. in very steep terrain on the Geißstein at an altitude of around 2,100 metres”, said Joachim Mitterer, head of the Saalbach-Hinterglemm mountain rescue team. It is believed he slipped while climbing.

Family members, who were on holiday in the Pinzgau region, were informed and are being supported by a crisis intervention team from the Red Cross.

^{View over the German and Austrian Alps from the Mitterberg mountain © Daniel ROLAND / AFP}