Heavy weather - 18-year-old dies after lightning strike on Zugspitze
An 18-year-old died after being struck by lightning on Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze (2962 meters). According to police reports, the young man was with two other men from North Rhine-Westphalia and had hiked to the Zugspitze summit, which is nearby the terrace of the mountain station. On the way back, only about 80 meters, a lightning strike hit the area of the summit multiple times and heavily.
The 18-year-old from a community in the Kreis Viersen was reportedly killed. His companions were taken care of by the crisis intervention service. Several media outlets reported on this earlier.
Adverse weather complicated rescue efforts
The adverse weather complicated the rescue efforts. A helicopter could not fly, and the Zugspitzbahn could not operate. The rescue operation therefore had to be delayed, as stated – also because multiple lightning strikes occurred in the vicinity of the mountain station and the summit.
Despite the challenging weather conditions in Bavaria, the local authorities were notified about the incident at the Zugspitze. The police responded to the situation and initiated an investigation into the unfortunate incident involving the 18-year-old. The lightning stroke at Zugspitze, located near North Rhine-Westphalia, had caused significant disruptions, even affecting the operation of the Zugspitzbahn.
