A 33-year-old woman, Kerstin Gurtner, died after allegedly being abandoned by her boyfriend during a winter climb on Austria’s highest mountain, the Grossglockner. Prosecutors say her partner, Thomas Plamberger, left her exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented about 50 meters below the summit around 2:00 a.m., where she later froze to death.
Authorities have charged Plamberger with grossly negligent homicide, citing poor planning, unsuitable equipment, failure to seek help, and leaving Kerstin without shelter or emergency aid despite severe weather. The case, now heading to trial, has sparked widespread attention over whether his decisions amounted to criminal neglect.
