This Brazilian student has been found dead in the Austrian Alps after apparently plunging 2,000 feet down a ravine to his death moments after taking this last selfie.
Braian Paulon de Andrade, 25, had been missing in the area of Bad Ischl, which is a spa town near the city of Salzburg in the Austrian state of Upper Austria, since Sunday 26th December.
He had arrived in Upper Austria as a student a few weeks earlier, according to local media reports.
A search was launched to find the missing man, with local rescuers scouring the area in a bid to locate him.
It is believed that he fell to his death after slipping while climbing the 1,745-metre (5,725-foot) Zimnitz summit after having set out on a trip using public transport from the city of Perg to reach Bad Ischl on Boxing Day.
Braian is believed to have hiked from the train station before apparently attempting to scale the summit after having reached the beginning of the climb, the ‘Engen Zimnitz’ at an elevation of 582 metres (1,909 feet).
He then took a selfie, which he posted on social media. It is thought to be the last known image of him alive. After that, he reportedly plunged approximately 600 metres (1,969 feet) down a ravine to his death.
The local ‘Bergrettung Bad Ischl’ emergency rescue services issued an appeal to the public, sharing photos of Braian on social media and asking people to get in touch if they had seen him.
They wrote: “Braian Paulon de Andrade, a 25-year-old student from Brazil, went on a trip with public transport from Perg to Bad Ischl on 26th December.
“In Bad Ischl he hiked from the train station over the Dammweg to the Pfandl district and there in the direction of the ‘Engen Zimnitz’.
“From there he sent photos for the last time at 1.07pm. Since then, his track has been lost. We ask for the help of the population regarding whether or not Brian has been seen after 26th December, 2021, at 1.07pm.”
But the lifeless body of the Brazilian student was found by local rescuers on Tuesday morning (28th December). It is believed that his body will be repatriated to Brazil for burial.
