Sudden thunderstorm Man (18) killed by lightning at mountain station restaurant

A young man has been struck and killed by lightning on the Zugspitze. It happened not far from the mountain station.

An 18-year-old was struck by lightning on the summit of the Zugspitze. The young man from Viersen in North Rhine-Westphalia was walking with two companions not far from the terrace of the mountain station on Germany's highest mountain during a sudden heavy thunderstorm on Sunday, according to the border police in Murnau am Staffelsee on Monday. He suffered a fatal electric shock from a lightning strike.

According to the officials, an emergency doctor from the mountain rescue service was only able to determine the death of the young man, while his companions had to receive psychological support from a crisis intervention team. Assistance from the mountain rescue service was delayed because no rescue helicopters were able to fly to the mountain during the storm. The route of the Zugspitzbahn was also temporarily closed due to the thunderstorm.

The dead man was rescued after the thunderstorm had passed so as not to endanger the rescuers. According to the police, there was "constant heavy rainfall" in the area of the summit during the storm. Particularly in humid weather, hot thunderstorms are always to be expected in the mountains, and the risk of lightning strikes at exposed altitudes is very high.

According to officials, the man who was killed and his two companions, who were also from North Rhine-Westphalia, had taken the Zugspitze cable car to the 2962-metre-high mountain near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Zugspitze is well developed for tourism. A railroad line and cable cars lead up to the top.