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Body of 17-Year-Old U.S. Kayaker Recovered in Austria’s Teufelsschlucht

Conditions in the narrow gorge made the recovery a high-risk technical operation.

Overview

  • Rescuers recovered the teenager on Wednesday following Tuesday’s capsize in the Teufelsschlucht near Lofer after the overnight search paused for darkness and bad weather.
  • Teams located him trapped under a large rock in the riverbed and turned the body over to police soon after the recovery.
  • The 17-year-old had been paddling with a group of eight that included instructors, and his companions called for help when he did not resurface.
  • Austrian water rescue specialists used rope safety lines, possible pulleys, and rafts as work platforms to reach turbulent sections of the gorge.
  • Water rescue units from Salzburg worked with Bavaria’s lifeguards, local firefighters, and alpine police as snow, rain, and freezing air cut short safe time in the water.