Hiker seriously injured after app sends him onto unmarked trail

A 24-year-old Dutch holidaymaker was seriously injured after falling 50 metres during a mountain tour near Hallstatt in Upper Austria, ORF reported. Police said a navigation app had directed him onto an unmarked trail on Vorderer Hirlatz.

The man had set out at about 7:45 a.m. from the Echerntal car park in Hallstatt, heading for the Wiesberghaus in the Dachstein area at an altitude of about 1,884 metres. After a short break there, he decided to descend to Hallstatt via Vorderer Hirlatz.

He followed the route shown by the app but slipped at an altitude of 740 metres. He fell several times over the rocky terrain before coming to a stop about 50 metres below. Despite suffering serious injuries, he was able to call emergency services himself.

Members of the Hallstatt mountain rescue service reached him shortly afterwards. He was conscious but unable to descend without assistance, so rescuers requested support from an emergency medical helicopter from Niederöblarn in Styria.

A severe thunderstorm over Niederöblarn delayed the helicopter operation by about 15 minutes. In the meantime, rescuers treated the injured hiker and stabilised him in a vacuum mattress. A doctor and a flight rescuer were then lowered from the helicopter by winch. After receiving medical treatment, the man was flown to Schärding Hospital.