Man investigated for leaving 17-year-old on Germany's highest mountain

Austrian police are investigating a German man aged 21 on suspicion of endangering public safety, after his 17-year-old female friend was left stranded on Germany's highest mountain Zugspitze in sub-zero temperatures. The teenager called emergency services and was eventually rescued on the mountain at an altitude of about 2,500m (8,200ft). She was suffering from hypothermia and taken to hospital in nearby Garmisch-Partenkirchen, over the border in Germany, before being discharged.

The pair set off in the early hours of Sunday from the resort of Ehrwald in the Austrian Tyrol with the aim of seeing the sunrise on Zugspitze. The weather was so poor that the two climbers were soon knee-deep in snow, according to Austrian reports, and their plans to reach the 2,962m summit soon changed. At one point they separated and the 21-year-old descended alone.

The reason they split is unclear, and a police spokesperson declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. Seven mountain rescuers responded to the call, and a helicopter eventually airlifted the teenager off the mountain.