Overview
- Emergency crews were alerted midday to a member of a four-person walking group who had become immobile in the Watt about 2.5 kilometres from the dike near Büsum.
- Four firefighters attempted to reach the person on foot in survival suits but could not advance through the soft, adhesive mud.
- A rescue helicopter used a winch to lift the trapped walker and flew them to shore where emergency medics took over.
- Firefighters were recovered to the coast by a specialised mudflat-rescue vehicle and the rest of the walking group made it back on foot.
- Local authorities and the DGzRS warned that the Wadden Sea’s quick tidal changes, fast-filling tidal channels and soft silt make Wattwandern dangerous without experienced guides and precise tide knowledge.