[ad_1]
On August 12, a canyoning accident occurred in the Parlitobel gorge in Vättis SG, in which three Spanish tourists died. A fourth man is still missing. Since the day of the event, despite the difficult conditions, attempts have been made to continue with the search for missing persons.
In the following days, patrols from the responsible police region, occasionally with the support of specialists, inspected the accident site and, in particular, searched the area between the exit of the gorge and the beginning of the lake. Here is an overview:
- August 14, 2020: Search area inspection. Another search flight by helicopter.
- August 15, 2020: Search area inspection. Massive ground displacements detected due to the rains of the previous night.
- 08/16/2020: Inspection of the search area with dogs. Find scraps of rope. A new search at the location of the rope did not uncover the missing person.
- 08/17/2020: Planned search with body sniffing dogs. It is not done due to storms and excessive water levels to ensure the safety of emergency services. Instead, a visual inspection on site.
- August 18, 2020: Search area inspection. Find more strings left. A new search at the location of the rope did not uncover the missing person.
- August 19, 2020: Search area inspection. Again, massive terrain changes can be detected due to rainfall.
- 08/20/2020: Search with corpse detection dogs of the canton of Zurich police. Search between the exit of the gorge and the beginning of the lake. Use survey poles and dig where dogs have indicated possible weather conditions. Unsuccessfully.
- August 21, 2020: New inspection of the gorge by canyoning specialists from Alpine Rescue Eastern Switzerland. Optimal conditions with little water in the gorge. There is no evidence of missing persons within the gorge.
- 08/24/2020: Another helicopter search flight.
- 08/30/2020: Inspection of the search area. The heavy rains on August 29/30, 2020 produced huge amounts of water. The creek bed was redesigned again. The search was unsuccessful.
- 09/01/2020: Inspection of the search area using a metal detector. Unsuccessfully.
- 02.09.2020: Use of police divers. Visibility in the Gigerwald reservoir was problematic. This was a maximum of 30 to 50 cm. For the police divers, this meant that the lake bed had to be scanned. Unsuccessfully.
New search approaches are not always possible
The search log shows that searching in alpine terrain is difficult, writes the canton of St. Gallen police. The meeting of the emergency services changed terrain, especially after heavy rains. “Only these changes of terrain provoke new search approaches possible when discovering places that were previously hidden.” On several consecutive days with no terrain changes, repeated search efforts in areas that have already been searched are pointless.
The use of other technical aids, such as an excavator, was also proven. Despite intense searching, no promising excavation sites have yet been identified. The search area is simply too large without accurate clues.
Police advise against private searches
In their work, the cantonal police are in close contact with the Spanish embassy in Switzerland and the families of the victims and the missing person. “As part of this collaboration, the relatives expressed the wish that a Spanish rescue team be deployed.” The police of the canton of San Galo are willing to involve a team from Spain in a search operation, provided that the weather situation and the security of the emergency services allow it. Private searches are not recommended. (szm)
