Austrian rescuers airlifted a 14-year-old Syrian migrant to safety after locating the man in the mountains along the Austrian-Slovenian border on Sunday (March 3). The rescuers posted pictures and a report of the incident on their Facebook page.

The teen was found at an altitude of 1,200 meters in the area of Bärengraben by Rosenbach, according to Austrian public radio. The rescuers believe the teen crossed into Austria from Slovenia without papers.

'Severely hypothermic and barely reactive'

A 61-year-old walker heard cries for help and alerted the mountain rescue services, who found the teenager "severely hypothermic and barely reactive," reported French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP).

The teenager was injured and told rescue services he was suffering from "severe pain."

The area where the boy was found still had patches of snow on the ground and was heavily forested, reports ORF Kaernten radio. The rescuers explained the teenager was unable to continue his journey due to his state. His clothes were "soaked through" and his condition was "alarming."

Markus Harfmann, a manager with the mountain rescue team in the nearby village of Villach, told ORF: "He absolutely was not able to continue moving...He was just lying on the wet forest floor."

Difficulty landing

Strong winds prohibited the first police helicopter from landing, the Villach rescue team wrote on their Facebook page.

So they called for a second helicopter, setting up a special wire system to get the teenager to a place where it could land and take him to the hospital in the nearby city of Klagenfurt.

Harfmann told ORF: "If that walker had not found him, then at the latest the following night, there would have been really serious problems for the boy. With his condition and with the night temperatures, it would have been relatively difficult for him to survive. If this walker had not come across him then no one would have started a search for him as we were unaware that he was there."

The rescue operation lasted three hours, according to ORF.

New routes to avoid border controls?

Austrian authorities believe that because of the increase in border controls at the road crossings, smugglers are turning to more obscure routes to get migrants into Western Europe.

The mountain route between Slovenia and Austria could be one of these, they say. Austria has implemented several temporary border crossing closures with its neighbors due to last until at least May this year.

However, authorities say they are still investigating exactly how the boy came to be in that particular section of the mountains. Earlier this year, rescuers located a migrant family in need of help in the same area, reported the Austrian Krone tabloid newspaper. They still don’t know whether smugglers took the boy on that route, or whether he set off alone.

"Smugglers don’t usually use small roads or paths over the mountains. When they travel that way, they would normally organize the journey with cars. If they expect migrants to walk a short part of that route, it will only be for a few kilometers," Gerald Tatzgern, a member of the Austrian Police Authority responsible for investigating people-smuggling gangs, told ORF.

Boy in 'stable condition' in intensive care

"I can only think that this young man ended up where he did because someone panicked and left him in the mess in which he found himself," Tatzgern said.

Austrian authorities say smugglers have been avoiding Austria for the most part, opting instead for Italy, reports ORF.

The hospital in Klagenfurt told ORF the 14-year-old had been admitted to intensive care, but that his condition was stable. Police have not yet been able to question him.

With AFP