64-year-old German man dies in fall on Olperer

A 64-year-old German man died after falling about 80 metres over steep, rocky terrain while descending the Olperer mountain in the Zillertal Alps on Saturday, ORF reported.

The man had set out at 7.45 a.m. with his son and nephew after spending the night at the Olperer Hut. The group reached the 3,476-metre summit at 11.15 a.m.

After a short break, they began descending along the route they had taken up. At about 1 p.m., the son and nephew heard a scream behind them and saw the man fall. They and other mountaineers provided first aid.

Because of the weather, the emergency medical helicopter could not land directly at the accident site. The emergency doctor walked about 200 metres uphill from a nearby landing site, while 10 mountain rescuers and an alpine police officer were flown to the area and also continued on foot.

The man died at the scene from his severe injuries. Mountain rescuers recovered his body, which was taken by police helicopter to Schlegeis.