Authorities search for missing German woman in distress on Texel
Update, 1 p.m., 9 April 2023: Police identified the missing woman as Ramona Barna.
Authorities on the Noord-Holland island of Texel spent hours searching for a missing German woman late on Saturday night and in the early morning hours of Sunday. Ramona, 46, was still missing later in the day, and police asked for the public’s help in finding her. Rescue efforts were focused on the water, beachfront, and the dunes in the area.
She was last seen “in a troubled state,” leaving one of the campsites near De Cocksdorp. She was described as a 47-year-old standing at about 1.55 meters tall, with blond hair and brown eyes. Ramona was wearing a blue jacket and pants, with a green scarf, and black Nike shoes. She also had a small black backpack when she was last seen.
The first public message about the missing person was distributed on citizen alert system Burgernet at about 11:20 p.m. Then, at about 2 a.m., search and rescue helicopters and Coast Guard crews were dispatched towards the area around the lighthouse at the island shoreline near De Cocksdorp.
Although records show the emergency dispatches were related to a missing swimmer, police could not confirm that the woman left the campsite to take part in recreational swimming, according to ANP.
"The woman left the campsite in normal clothes," a police spokesperson told the newswire. An update distributed by Burgernet just before 8 a.m. noted that the woman was still missing.
