On Saturday afternoon, 11 October 2025, a tragic boating accident occurred in the Austrian part of Lake Constance at around 3.35 pm. A motorboat crewed by four Austrian nationals collided with a sailing boat carrying two people from Germany. The motorboat approached the sailing boat at high speed and collided with the smaller vessel without braking. The force of the impact was so strong that the sailing boat capsized and was completely destroyed. While the male sailor was able to jump into the water in time, the woman suffered serious injuries.
Unsuccessful rescue measures
The woman floating in the water was found immediately after the accident. Despite immediate first aid measures and resuscitation attempts, she died at the scene of the accident. The other people involved, including the male sailor and the four people on the motorboat, were physically uninjured but were in shock. The arriving emergency services took over the care of the victims. The crisis intervention team was also called in to provide psychological support for those involved in the accident. The exact circumstances of the accident are still unclear and are the subject of further police investigations.
Extensive rescue operation
The accident triggered a large-scale rescue operation. The fire boats "Föhn" and "Pfänder" were deployed to the scene, supported by the water rescue boats "V-9" and "V-112". The police boat "V-20" and the rescue helicopter "C8" were also ordered to the scene of the accident. Once the immediate rescue operations had been completed, the fire brigade and police took over the recovery of the boats involved. The remains of the wrecked sailboat and the motorboat were then towed ashore, where they are available for further investigation. Investigations are now focussing on clarifying the exact circumstances that led to this tragic accident.
