Son survives German baron dies in avalanche in Graubünden

Tragedy in the Alps: a German baron has died in an avalanche in Graubünden. His 15-year-old son was rescued.

An avalanche accident in the Alps has claimed a prominent victim. A 49-year-old German baron was caught in an avalanche in Graubünden and died on the mountain. His 15-year-old son survived the accident.

The avalanche occurred on Tuesday afternoon in the Grisons Alps when Felix Freiherr zu Knyphausen was skiing off the marked pistes with his son and other winter sports enthusiasts. Suddenly, the masses of snow came loose and buried the group. Eyewitnesses immediately made an emergency call.

As confirmed by media reports citing the family, the victim is the lord of Bodelschwingh Castle in Dortmund. Relatives are currently being looked after by a care team.

Investigations continue

The rescue operation took place under difficult conditions. According to the emergency services, two Rega helicopters, a helicopter from Swiss Helicopter, mountain rescuers, employees of the mountain railroads and local helpers were deployed. The 15-year-old son was rescued in time and was taken to the Graubünden Cantonal Hospital in Chur by the Central Grisons Rescue Service. According to the information available so far, he was not physically injured.

For the 49-year-old, all help came too late. Despite immediate resuscitation attempts by the mountain rescuers, he died at the scene of the accident.

The Graubünden cantonal police have begun an investigation into the exact circumstances of the accident. According to the information available so far, the winter sports enthusiasts were skiing in open terrain. There is currently an increased risk of avalanches in the Alps due to fresh snow and wind, which is why authorities are urgently warning against skiing off the secured pistes.