Sonthofen (dpa / lby) – After the fatal accident on a canyoning tour in the Allgäu, the public prosecutor’s office is investigating two leaders of the group for negligent homicide. The 32-year-old and the 49-year-old looked after the group to which the woman belonged, who was swept away by the water in the Starzlachklamm near Sonthofen (Oberallgäu district) after a thunderstorm and died, the police said on Monday. Two leaders of another group are also being investigated for negligent bodily harm after a man from the group was injured in the accident.
A central question for the investigators is why the groups were in the gorge despite the thunderstorm and the rapidly rising water level. The search for answers could take longer because the investigators would have to hear many witnesses. According to police reports, around 60 to 70 people were on or in the gorge at the time of the accident on Saturday.
In the accident, at least eight people were trapped by the water in the gorge as a result of a thunderstorm. Several people were swept away and two men were injured. A 27-year-old woman was found dead in the gorge early Sunday morning.
