Krummensbaum, St Maarten – Big dismay after high in games

The panic in the Krummnußbaum community runs deep. The 52-year-old deceased was firmly integrated into village life. “I knew her too well. It’s too bad. She comes from a small town where all the residents are in shock,” Andrea Ischinger, deputy mayor of Krummenesbaum, still couldn’t believe the incident days later.

The deceased was an athlete and an avid hiker. “She’s never dared to do anything, hiking isn’t usually dangerous. I just can’t understand when someone dies at that age,” says Ischinger. Particularly tragic: the 52-year-old became a grandmother only a year ago. “Unfortunately, the two of them no longer recognize their grandmother,” Ischinger was deeply moved.

“It’s just tragic,” St Martin’s Mayor Martin Ritzmayer of the community tells the 54-year-old victim.

One of the dead hikers was working in Caritas. The Secretary-General of Caritas, Christoph Riedel, also expressed his displeasure via Twitter: “We regret the loss of a Caritas employee in particular. Our condolences and sympathy are with all the relatives, friends and co-workers of the five dead.”