False Alarm Leads to Hours-Long Mountain Rescue Operation
Rescuers in Salzburg found themselves in an unusual situation on Sunday morning. A mountain biker's distress call turned out to be a false alarm, caused by a forgotten truck light. The incident involved a large rescue operation and lasted for hours.
The saga began when police received a distress signal from the Gschwandtnerberg near Taxenbach. They alerted the mountain rescue team at 19:30. The team, consisting of eight rescuers and volunteer firefighters, faced harsh conditions: poor visibility, strong winds, fog, cold, and snowfall.
Upon reaching the supposed distress location, they found no sign of the mountain biker. Instead, they discovered a wood truck with a rotating light still on, causing the false alarm. The rescuers turned off the light and ended the operation around midnight.
Just an hour later, the rescuers were alerted again to flashing lights on the same mountain. They reached the stranded mountain biker around 10 pm, about 700 meters below the Ochsenkopf, near a ravine. They managed to lower him and his bike down and took him to safety with a quad.
The false alarm resulted in a lengthy rescue operation, with the mountain rescue team working tirelessly in challenging conditions. The incident serves as a reminder to always ensure all lights are turned off after parking vehicles in remote areas to avoid similar situations.
