He had reportedly jumped into the water from a rented electric boat and failed to resurface.
The search continued in the Starnberg Bay with a remotely operated underwater vehicle to determine the location of the missing person. Police divers remained on standby, ready to be deployed as soon as the robot helped to precisely narrow down the search area. According to official information, the student had apparently jumped into the water from the rented boat and then sank below the surface.
Scent Detection Dogs Assist in the Search from a Rescue Boat
Two specially trained scent detection dogs from the local rescue unit supported the search operation from aboard a rescue boat. Their handlers received personal belongings and clothing of the 23-year-old from the student’s friends to provide the dogs with scent samples. According to the Water Rescue Service, such dog-assisted search operations had been successfully completed in ten out of thirteen previous cases.
Search Operation Temporarily Halted Due to Thunderstorm
The young man from India had been out on the lake with two fellow students and had repeatedly left the boat to swim. During his last attempt to return to the boat, he was no longer able to climb back on his own. His friends tried to rescue him but were unsuccessful—the man suddenly disappeared underwater. The exact reasons why he sank remain unclear. A large contingent of rescue forces had already searched until Sunday evening, but due to an approaching thunderstorm, the operation had to be called off shortly after 8 p.m. and resumed on Monday morning.
Water Rescue Service Reports Unusually High Number of Swimming Accidents
In the Upper Bavaria administrative region, there were three fatal swimming accidents over the past weekend, as reported by the Bavarian Water Rescue Service. “This development is alarming, saddening, and deeply concerning,” said Thomas Huber, the organization’s state chairman, in a press release.
In addition to the incident at Lake Starnberg, where the Indian student remains missing, fatal accidents also occurred at Lake Chiemsee and Lake Karlsfeld. The Water Rescue Service also reported four other life-threatening incidents at lakes in Upper Bavaria, in which all swimmers were fortunately rescued in time.
The Water Rescue Service expressed particular concern over the frequency of these tragic events within just a few days and at the start of one of the first hot summer weekends of the year. Thomas Huber urgently appealed to all bathers not to underestimate the dangers of natural bodies of water and to always observe basic safety rules both in and around the water.
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