Body Found During Search for Ice Swimmer - Man dies after vanishing during risky ice swim in abandoned German tank site
A 52-year-old man from Saxony-Anhalt has died after disappearing during an ice swim in Wismar. Jürgen Kusche was last seen entering a frozen pond near the abandoned Soviet tank training area on July 2, 2024. Emergency crews later recovered his body from the water.
Kusche had travelled to the Wendorf section of the Wismarer Feuerwehretanks to film the site. Before entering the pond, he set up a camera on a tripod. A witness reported seeing him break a hole in the ice and swim into the water—but he failed to resurface.
Firefighters arrived at the scene after Kusche was reported missing. They discovered the tripod near the edge of the pond. Divers and chainsaws were then used to cut through the ice and locate the victim’s body.
The recovery operation confirmed the man’s death after he vanished while filming his ice swim. Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances. The incident remains under investigation.
