Pakistani man disappears in Aare river after ignoring friends' warnings; search continues amid weekend of Swiss drownings
A 28-year-old Pakistani man went missing Saturday evening after jumping from the Mülimatt footbridge into the Aare river at Windisch, despite companions pleading with him not to. Search efforts involving police and a rescue helicopter have so far been unsuccessful.
The incident at Mülimatt footbridge
At around 19:45 on Saturday, 27 June, the man climbed onto the Aaresteg Mülimatt in Windisch, canton Aargau, while with a group of friends. Several of them tried to dissuade him from jumping, but he went ahead. After entering the water he surfaced momentarily, shouted for help, and then sank again.
The man briefly surfaced after the jump, cried for help, and disappeared again. There has been no trace since.
Search and rescue operation
Cantonal police received the emergency call at the same time and immediately launched a large-scale search. Multiple police patrols were deployed along the river, and a Rega rescue helicopter was seen circling the Aare near Brugg from 20:00 onward. The helicopter flights were tracked by Flightradar users. Despite several hours of sweeping the area overnight, the man could not be found.
By Sunday morning the operation had shifted to a sustained but still fruitless search. Aargau police confirmed shortly before noon that the man remained unaccounted for and that efforts were continuing.
- Man jumps from Aaresteg Mülimatt; surfaces, cries for help, and submerges again.
- Emergency call received by Aargau cantonal police.
- Rega rescue helicopter begins search flights over the Aare near Brugg.
- Search resumes Sunday morning; man still missing.
- Police confirm ongoing search; no trace found.
Multiple drownings across Swiss waters
Police also pointed to a series of swimming accidents since Friday evening. On the Rhine a 35-year-old man from the Möhlin area lost his life; another person was rescued from the Rhine at Laufenburg. In the Reuss a 20-year-old Somali national went missing after a jump at Gebenstorf and has still not been found. On Saturday in Basel a 61-year-old swimmer got into difficulty and died shortly after being brought ashore.
The cantonal police issued a renewed appeal to the public, warning that the current high-summer temperatures should not tempt swimmers into overestimating their ability in rivers and lakes.
