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Hang-Glider Pilot From Trier Missing at Sudelfeld

Authorities have launched an intensive multi-method mountain search after finding the pilot's hang glider and car; his whereabouts and condition remain unknown.

Overview

  • Police say a 31-year-old hang-glider pilot from Trier is missing in the Sudelfeld area and rescuers found his glider near the Rosengassenlift and his car by the Walleralm.
  • Bergwacht, the Alpine Einsatzgruppe, Polizei Brannenburg and the BRK rescue-dog unit are all taking part in the large-scale search with many volunteer helpers.
  • Search teams are using mantrailer dogs to follow scent, drones for aerial scouting and periodic helicopter thermal imaging to look for heat signatures.
  • Investigators have not established the pilot's launch site and do not know his condition, so they are treating the case as a potentially helpless-person situation and widening the search.
  • Rugged alpine terrain and limited lines of sight at Sudelfeld make searches harder and could prolong operations until new leads or detections emerge.