Drama on Germany's highest mountain: 17-year-old girl abandoned in freezing cold

A 17-year-old girl was rescued by helicopter from Mount Zugspitze after a 21-year-old climbing companion left her behind at an altitude of 2,500 meters in freezing temperatures of minus 12 degrees Celsius. She suffered from hypothermia and was evacuated to a hospital. The Austrian police are investigating the young man on suspicion of endangering her life.

Drama on Mount Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain: A 17-year-old girl was rescued by helicopter after a 21-year-old climbing companion left her behind at an altitude of 2,500 meters in temperatures of minus 12 degrees Celsius. The two had set out on a night hike in the early hours of Sunday from the resort of Ehrwald in Austria, aiming to watch the sunrise from the summit of the 2,962-meter peak. Harsh weather conditions, with snow reaching knee-deep, forced them to abandon the summit attempt. At some point, they parted ways: the young man descended the mountain alone, and the girl was left behind. She managed to call for help, and seven mountain rescuers and a helicopter extracted her. She was taken to a hospital in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in southern Germany, treated for hypothermia, and released. The Austrian police have opened an investigation against the young man on suspicion of endangering the physical safety of another person, an offense punishable by up to three months in prison. The article compares the incident to a tragedy from January 2025 on Mount Grossglockner in Austria, where a 33-year-old woman froze to death after her partner left her on the mountain, and he was convicted of grossly negligent manslaughter.