Drama in Neuburg, Bavaria: The search for the two men who got into distress in the Danube has been called off and, according to a police spokesman, will not be continued on Sunday.
The rescue teams started final attempts on Saturday evening, to find the two young men aged 20 and 22 still aliveas a police spokesman explained – but unsuccessful.
The police are now talking about a “Rescue operation instead of search operation”The probability of the two missing persons surviving has “decreased significantly”. “We have exhausted everything that is possible,” said the police spokesman in Neuburg an der Donau. The next steps are currently being coordinated – for example, whether the criminal police should be called in.
Search operation with dogs, drones and sonar devices
More than 100 members of the fire service, water rescue service, technical relief organisation, rescue service, police and ADAC were reportedly deployed. Divers also searched the river, and a water detection dog and a drone were deployed.
The forces also searched the river with sonar devices. According to the spokesman, the large-scale search operation was called off at around 8:30 p.m. because there was no chance of success.
According to police, there is a barrage downstream. In the area of the river where the men had entered the water, the current is “relatively strong” depending on the water levela police spokesman said on Saturday. There was no information on whether the two men are non-swimmers or not.
Passers-by reported to the police on Friday afternoon that they had seen a person in the Danube from the Schlösselwiese who was obviously in a helpless situation.
The young man called for help and clung to a bush. Rescue workers saved the 23-year-old from the water. He announced that he was wanted to swim in the Danube with two other young men. (dpa)
