Rescue operation at Lake Ratzeburg: Missing swimmer found!

Rescue operation at Lake Ratzeburg: Missing swimmer found!

On the afternoon of June 25, 2025, a major operation by the fire brigade and DLRG was underway at Lake Ratzeburg, more precisely at the Buchholz campsite. An emergency call was made around 4 p.m., alerting the emergency services. A caller stated that a swimmer had not returned. This required quick action, so the volunteer fire brigades from Buchholz-Disnack-Pogeez, Groß Grönau, Groß Sarau and Ratzeburg as well as DLRG groups from the surrounding area were mobilized. A total of around 75 emergency services were on site, searching with an ambulance and an emergency doctor. Clothing was discovered on the shore, which strengthened the suspicion of a missing person.

However, the swimmer resurfaced shortly afterwards and the clothing found was hers. Despite this positive outcome, the emergency services continued their search for a possible other person using boats and even two drones. In the middle of this search operation, another emergency call was made: a sailboat had capsized. The emergency services knew immediately that quick help was needed again and moved resources to the Buchholz bathing area. The capsized dinghy was soon spotted and, fortunately, the 79-year-old sailor was fine and did not require medical attention. This operation lasted a total of around 90 minutes and was completed without any further incidents.

Background of the operations

As the situation at Lake Ratzeburg shows, water safety remains an important issue. Just recently, on August 24, 2024, a 79-year-old skipper went missing in the same location, whose unmanned sailboat was discovered by water sports enthusiasts. The emergency call came in at 2 p.m., but the skipper was no longer on board. Despite a large-scale operation involving 16 rescue boats, helicopters, drones, divers and water rescue dogs, the search had to be stopped after a day due to adverse weather conditions. Tragically, the 79-year-old's body was recovered by the DLRG the following Saturday. Such incidents underline the dangers that bodies of water like Lake Ratzeburg pose.

In 2023, the DLRG recorded a total of 411 fatal accidents in German waters, which represents an increase of 31 deaths compared to the previous year. This marks the third consecutive increase in the number of drownings. “For the first time since 2019, more than 400 victims,” said DLRG President Ute Vogt, emphasizing how important it is to raise people’s awareness of the dangers in the upcoming warm season. Parents of young children in particular should be made aware of the risks so that they can act more safety-consciously.

The events surrounding Lake Ratzeburg are not only a wake-up call for water sports enthusiasts, but also for everyone who spends time in and around bodies of water. Safety should always come first.

For more information you can read the articles on the websites of LN Online, Yacht.de and DLRG visit.