Several bodies discovered Around 100 people are missing in Lake Constance

Two bodies that had been lying in Lake Constance for some time were found at the weekend. Their reappearance probably has something to do with the current high water. In total, more than a hundred people are currently missing in the lake.

The identity of the two people recently found was still unclear on Monday. On Saturday morning, a female boater discovered a male body two kilometers from the mouth of the Rhine on German territory.

On Saturday evening, three kayakers discovered another lifeless man in the water between Hard A and Lindau D, according to the Vorarlberg state police. He had probably been dead for more than six months. An autopsy has been ordered and is due to take place on Tuesday.

Water pressure keeps body down

Fatal accidents occur in Lake Constance every year. The statistics for 2023 list a total of 15 fatal accidents around the lake. In 13 cases, these were bathers.

103 people are currently missing. Ten cases of missing persons have been registered in the past ten years, Bernhard Aigner, commander of the Hard A lake police, told the Austrian news agency apa.

Since August 2023, for example, a stand-up paddler has been missing who set out on the lake off Lochau A despite strong winds. In January 2012, two fishermen got caught in a storm near Fussach A, only their capsized boat was found.

From a depth of 50 meters, the water pressure holds the body down, explained Aigner. The decomposition gases produced were not sufficient to float the body to the surface.

However, when the layers of water at different temperatures are circulated in the fall and spring, this process sometimes brings to the surface what lies at depth. Floods or storms can also cause missing bodies to resurface. Aigner said that the fact that two dead bodies were found just now probably had something to do with the recent flooding.