Double Tragedy: Two Swimming Accidents Prompt Rescue Alert in Hamburg

A lot to do for the rescue workers in Hamburg: They were alerted twice because of swimming accidents. In one case, a father died.

A 35-year-old man died at a popular bathing lake in Hamburg. He disappeared for more than 20 minutes and was probably under water for that long, said a spokesman for the Hamburg police situation center t-online on Sunday evening. Despite attempts at resuscitation, he died on the spot.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m., the fire brigade was reportedly alerted to the “Hinterm Horn” bathing lake in the Allermöhe district of Hamburg. Police, fire brigade and swimmers from the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) looked for the man together and found him very quickly, said a spokesman for the fire brigade on site. Unfortunately, he was under water for too long.

Immediately after the man was pulled out of the water, the emergency services began resuscitation. However, this had to be aborted without success, the rescue workers could not have done anything more, the spokesman continued. The relatives, two women and two children aged five and six, were cared for by the police crisis intervention team.

On the sidelines of the operation, there were disputes among the bathers at the lake, said the police spokesman. Around 600 guests were there at the time and some were agitated because the bathing area had to be cleared. The police therefore pulled together according to their own statements “many forces”. Around 40 firefighters were on duty.

There had already been a swimming accident in the “Billebad” swimming pool in the Hamburg district of Hamm on Sunday afternoon. A 47-year-old had to be resuscitated there. The incident happened around 3.30pm after the woman, who was not a swimmer, apparently wanted to help a child and fell into the water in the process.

In this case, however, the resuscitation was successful. After her circulation was stabilized, rescue workers took her to a hospital. Two children who were in the swimming pool with the 47-year-old were taken into custody and cared for by the police.