Two German brothers, 13 and 16, were brought down at night by Bergwacht Pustertal from the Bonnerhütte hut, above 2,300 metres, on Corno Fana / Toblacher Pfannhorn above Toblach/Dobbiaco in South Tyrol. This is Italy, not Austrian Tyrol. A completed rescue, not a closed criminal inquiry.

According to dpa, the family set out from Toblach. After a few hours the parents turned back and let the boys go on. The plan, the newspaper Dolomiten writes, was to sleep at the hut, which the parents thought was within their ability. Opening hours had not been checked. A turnaround on the path, not a verdict of “abandonment”.

The hut, built in 1897 by the Bonn section of the alpine club, had ended its season. Bonnerhütte’s own calendar lists closing on 11 October 2026. dpa, on 19 October, says it had been closed for more than a week. A locked door, not a winter refuge kept open.

Around 01:00 an emergency call came in: the boys were standing alone in front of the hut. Rescuers took them to the hospital in San Candido/Innichen. A spokesman for the Pustertal mountain rescue told dpa that after a climb of more than 1,000 metres of elevation they were badly hypothermic; one had vomited. They have since been discharged.

Dolomiten writes that they had mountain boots but not suitable clothing. The spokesman spoke of “great recklessness” and added that, fortunately, this is rare. A mountain-rescue judgement, not a criminal charge.

Until a prosecutor’s note, the closed fact is the rescue and the discharge. Digi24 put the headline on “Hansel and Gretel” and on “abandoned”. The dpa/Dolomiten sources describe a family that split on the trail and a closed hut. This is not a closed criminal case.

Image: Llorenzi, Corno Fana / Toblacher Pfannhorn, 1 August 2009, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; the mountain in 2009, not a photograph of the October 2026 rescue.

Sources consulted: Two German brothers rescued at night in South Tyrol after a closed hut - Digi24; Mountain rescue saves 13- and 16-year-olds at night in the Dolomites - Suedkurier / dpa.