Several news agencies report that two women were attacked while visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. During the event, the perpetrator pushed both victims, aged 21 and 22, down a 150-foot cliff, which caused the death of the 21-year-old. An American man has been taken into custody.
This is a heartbreaking story; the details make it even more scary. As per the New York Times:
The two women, friends age 21 and 22, were visiting the site as tourists, the police said in a statement. On Wednesday, the women were near the castle when they met an American man, who persuaded them to join him on a little-used unofficial hiking trail that led into a forest and toward the picturesque cliffs surrounding the castle, the police said.
Once out of view of the busy official path, they said, he attacked the 21-year-old. When the 22-year-old tried to intervene, the man pushed her down the steep cliff, according to the police, before trying to sexually assault the 21-year-old and then pushing her down the cliff as well.
Both women plunged about 150 feet and, shortly afterward, were rescued by the local mountain patrol and flown by emergency airlift to a hospital, according to the police. But the 21-year-old woman died from her injuries that night.
According to the BBC, the event happened on a trail near the Marienbrücke bridge. This bridge goes over the canyon and offers spectacular views of the castle.
When we visited, I climbed up a nearby path to get a better view. There were several of these trails in the area.
You can get far up quickly. I snapped a picture of the bridge from above. You can see how high you get, and I only walked up the path for 5-10 minutes.
When traveling, it’s easy to put your guard down and do things you usually wouldn’t, like follow a stranger down a remote path in the woods. Unfortunately, this event ended tragically, with both women being assaulted and one dying from injuries after being thrown off a cliff.
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1 comment
Horrid, hope they got him and if American gets jail or worse for life… Germany should send him to the US!!