Overview
- A holidaymaker discovered a submerged car and alerted police, leading to a coordinated recovery by about 20 firefighters and water-rescue personnel.
- Rescue crews pulled the vehicle ashore using a side path and a tractor after locating it in the Hirschau area of the Lech near the county border.
- Officers inspected the car and assessed it as a BMW likely built between 1977 and 1983 and said the plant-covered, mud-coated vehicle probably lay in the river for more than 30 years.
- Police have opened an active inquiry to identify the owner and are investigating whether the outwardly intact car was stolen and deliberately disposed of, a theory supported by the car's position near an access path.
- Investigators warn tracing the owner may be difficult because older registration records can be deleted and they cannot yet explain why the car went undiscovered for decades.