German Man Investigated in Austria After Abandoning Teenage Girlfriend on Zugspitze

Austrian police are investigating a 21-year-old German man on suspicion of endangering public safety after he abandoned his 17-year-old girlfriend on the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak. The young woman was rescued safely suffering from hypothermia after managing to alert emergency services from the summit, which stands at 2,962 meters.

The couple set out early Sunday morning from the resort town of Ehrwald in the Austrian region of Tyrol to watch the sunrise from the mountain peak. According to reports in Austria, weather conditions were particularly severe, forcing them to trudge through knee-deep snow and alter their original plans. A mountain rescuer told the German news agency DPA that temperatures that morning plummeted to minus 12 degrees Celsius.

The couple separated at some point along the way, and the 21-year-old young man descended the mountain alone. The reason for the split remains unclear, and a police spokesman declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation. Following the young woman's distress call, seven mountain rescuers were deployed, and a helicopter ultimately airlifted her from an altitude of about 2,500 meters.

The teenager was transported by ambulance to a hospital in the German border town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and was subsequently discharged. Austrian law stipulates that a person who endangers another's physical safety faces up to three months in prison. Police stated that upon completion of the investigation, a report will be forwarded to prosecutors in Innsbruck to decide whether a criminal offense occurred.

Sunday's incident evokes memories of a tragedy in January 2025 on Austria's highest peak, the Großglockner, where a 33-year-old woman froze to death after being left alone on the mountain by her partner. The partner was subsequently convicted of gross negligence resulting in death.