When Jana Cerna returned from her hike in the Höllentalklamm around 1 p.m. on Monday, it began to rain.

“I ran back early, although the sun was still shining.

From 2 p.m. the weather should get worse, ”she says.

“Nature can be unpredictable.” And yet numerous hikers who were just starting out met her.

“Partly poorly equipped, with small children and dogs.” Despite announced storms.

Towards the afternoon the rain got heavier. The Hammersbach in the Höllentalklamm swelled rapidly. The masses of water tore a wooden bridge with it - and two people who were on it, reported eyewitnesses. They dialed the emergency number. But the rescue turned out to be difficult, says Sohrab Taheri-Sohi from the Bavarian Red Cross. "The terrain in the high mountains is difficult to access." Due to the weather, helicopters could not fly and bring equipment to the site of the accident. “Then there is the unbelievable force of the water. The dangers are difficult to assess, even for professionals, ”says Taheri-Sohi. Nevertheless, the emergency services were able to bring eight hikers to safety. They had been trapped in the gorge by the masses of water, but remained unharmed.108 people stayed in the miners' houses and in the Höllentalangerhütte on Tuesday night. Early in the morning, the mountain rescue service brought them down into the valley on foot.

Negligent Homicide Investigation

On Tuesday morning the weather improved so that the search for missing persons in the gorge could be continued - with 165 rescue workers from the police, mountain rescue service, the Red Cross, fire brigade and forces specializing in canyon rescue.

Drones were also used, reports Stefan Sonntag, spokesman for the police headquarters in Upper Bavaria South.

In the morning they found one of the two people who had been carried away, but they could only rescue the woman dead.

"The water shoots from the mountain through the gorge," says Sonntag.

“Even without the torrential heavy rain, it's sensational.

If you get in there, the chances of survival are slim. "

"Hellishly imposing" - with this saying the Höllentalklamm Grainau attracts tourists.

Tens of thousands visit the gorge at the foot of the Zugspitze every year.

The Hammersbach rushes through the steep rock faces into the valley.

“I had a guardian angel with me and I'm really grateful that I got home safe,” says Jana Cerna.

It was only in June that a man had a fatal accident in the Höllentalklamm when he lost his balance, fell and was swept away by the water.

Meanwhile, the Munich II public prosecutor's office has initiated preliminary investigations.

A spokeswoman for the authority told the German Press Agency on Tuesday that there was suspicion of negligent homicide.

There is no investigation against specific persons.