Global Courant
Authorities say a tourist has died after a man attacked her and a companion near Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Germany
FILE – Neuschwanstein Castle, a 19th-century creation of Bavarian fairytale king Ludwig II and world-famous tourist attraction, is pictured in Hohenschwangau near Fuessen, southern Germany, on Monday, May 9, 2011. Authorities say a man assaulted two women nearby of Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Germany, killing one. Police say the women were attacked near the popular tourist spot on Wednesday afternoon and the man fled but was arrested. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
The associated press
BERLIN — A tourist has died after a man attacked her and a companion near Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Germany, authorities said on Thursday.
The incident at the popular tourist attraction close to the Austrian border happened on Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors in nearby Kempten said the two women, aged 21 and 22, had first met the 30-year-old suspect – who had also gone to the castle as a tourist – shortly before.
The attack took place near the Marienbrücke, a bridge over a gorge near the castle with a famous view of Neuschwanstein, the German news agency dpa reported.
Authorities said the three apparently took a path to a lookout point, where the man attacked the younger woman. The 22-year-old rushed to help her companion, and the man allegedly pushed her down a steep slope, they said.
Prosecutors said that after what may have been an attempted assault, the man allegedly pushed the younger woman down the ramp as well. She was taken by helicopter to a hospital, where she died overnight.
The man initially fled, but was arrested, police said.
It was not immediately known where the victims and the suspect came from. Neuschwanstein is one of Germany’s most popular tourist attractions.