German professor Ralf Klausnitzer missing since March 26, last seen in Hualien

German professor Ralf Klausnitzer missing since March 26, last seen in Hualien

2024-05-08

Authorities are searching for German professor Ralf Klausnitzer. He was reported missing to Hualien police on April 2, one day before a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the county. Friends and family say he has been unreachable since March 29. Multiple agencies have joined forces to find him, but ongoing aftershocks have complicated search efforts.

Wearing shorts and a black shirt, German professor Ralf Klausnitzer was seen waiting his turn to board a bus to Taroko National Park. He was later caught on a security camera at a Hualien temple. His last known location was Zhihui Bridge in Xiulin Township, Hualien.

Chen Shao-hua
Hualien Police Bureau’s Xincheng Precinct
On the morning of March 26, he boarded the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service to Tianxiang in Taroko National Park. There has been no sign of him since. This foreign national was not among those reported missing after the April 3 earthquake.

Klausnitzer is a professor of German studies at Humboldt University of Berlin. He was invited to lecture at Tamkang University in Taipei, and traveled to Hualien on March 25. Friends and family have been unable to reach him since March 29. Fearing for his safety, his family in Germany reported him missing to Hualien police on April 2. Until the morning of the April 3 earthquake, location data from Klausnitzer’s cell phone showed that he was in the Tianxiang area. When the earthquake hit, telecommunications went down in the mountains, and his location data disappeared.

Chen Shao-hua
Hualien Police Bureau’s Xincheng Precinct
We have coordinated a joint search by the park administration, the ninth brigade of the Seventh Special Police Corps, the Taroko public works unit, Hualien County’s fire department, and ourselves, but so far, we have not been able to locate him.

The joint search effort is ongoing. Klausnitzer’s friends and family have turned to Facebook, hoping that internet users can help locate their loved one.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

德籍教授強震前遊太魯閣失蹤！搜救隊5度搜索至今無下落

2024-05-08

有一名德國教授，早在403花蓮強震前，3月25日就進入花蓮太魯閣地區，隨後失去音訊，目前已經過了1個多月，花蓮警方還是沒找到人，餘震不斷也讓搜救變得更加困難，遠在德國的家人更是徹夜難眠，現在多個單位共組搜救隊協尋，只希望能盡快將人找到。

穿著黑衣短褲的外國籍男子，排隊走上前往花蓮太魯閣的巴士，隨後又被拍到出現在一座廟宇內，最後一次被捕捉到身影，是在花蓮縣秀林鄉的稚暉橋，之後男子就失去音訊。

[[花蓮新城分局三組組長陳韶華]]
“26日早上搭乘臺灣好行，太魯閣大巴士前往，太魯閣國家公園天祥地區旅遊，自此了無音訊，報案協尋。該外籍人士並不是4月3日地震的失聯者”

這名失聯的德國籍男子是德國柏林洪堡大學德文系教授柯尼哲，3月受邀到淡江大學演講，並在3月25號到花蓮旅遊，沒想到3月29號起就失去音訊。家屬聯絡不到人十分焦急，4月2號透過他的台籍友人向花蓮警方報案，直到4月3號花蓮大地震前，他的手機定位都還在天祥地區，但地震發生後山區通訊中斷，已經查不到他的位置。

[[花蓮新城分局三組組長陳韶華]]
“目前已協請太管處保七總隊九大隊，太魯閣工務段花蓮縣消防局及本分局共同搜山協尋，均無發現”

目前和各單位共組搜救隊，繼續搜尋。親友也在臉書發文尋人，期盼透過各界力量，盡快找到教授的下落。

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