Suche
Mein Konto
Large-scale search on the Danube: missing man found safely!
On July 18, 2025, a missing man was found in Hofkirchen an der Donau after an intensive search operation with AI support.
Large-scale search on the Danube: missing man found safely!
In Hofkirchen an der Donau, Passau district, a missing 27-year-old man is causing a stir. His disappearance was reported to the Vilshofen police station on Friday at 10.45 a.m. after he had left his usual surroundings in an unknown direction. The circumstances of his disappearance suggest possible danger to himself, which made the situation particularly dramatic.
A large-scale search operation was immediately launched. The emergency services, consisting of several police patrols, a police dog and the Hofkirchen and Neßlbach fire departments, were quickly on site. The important aids included a fire service drone from the Neßlbach fire department and a police helicopter. After four hours of intensive searching, the missing person was finally found safely at 2:45 p.m. in the Danube floodplain area near Sattling. The man was then transferred for medical evaluation. The department management thanked all those involved for the excellent cooperation that made this successful operation possible Passauer Neue Presse reported.
Research meets practice - use of AI in the search for missing persons
In another exciting context, the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) in the search for missing persons has recently come up. An example of this was a large-scale exercise that recently took place at the Tegelbergbahn parking lot. Various rescue organizations such as the police, THW, mountain rescue service and the Bavarian Red Cross worked together to test an AI for person recognition. This AI was developed by Bernd Pinzer, Professor of Machine Vision at Kempten University of Applied Sciences, and was trained with around 10,000 images to recognize people in aerial images.
The operation began early in the morning with the radio message “We have nine missing young people on Tegelberg” and covered confusing terrain. Drones with thermal imaging cameras were active and helped to advance the search efficiently. The results of this exercise were impressive: seven of the nine missing people were found, with the AI providing crucial clues. Bernd Pinzer emphasized the need to further analyze AI performance in order to optimize and revolutionize future operations. This exercise was part of the “KIResQ” project, which is funded by the BMBF with 870,000 euros Bavarian Radio informed.
The future of missing person searches
Incorporating AI into rescue operations could not only increase efficiency, but also save a lot of resources. Like on that Consumer Protection Forum noted, this technology could fundamentally change the way missing people are searched.
Future-oriented approaches like these are essential in order to be best prepared for operations. Given the challenges facing emergency responders, the use of modern technologies is a promising solution that we should keep an eye on.