Press
The storms are causing chaos in Austria: In Tyrol, a mudslide thundered down from a mountain onto the Inntal federal road. A family had to be brought down to the valley by helicopter.
Zams – Heavy storms continue to rage across the Alpine region. Austria is particularly affected. In western Tyrol, heavy rain began in the Zams area on Sunday afternoon around 4 p.m. The huge masses of water washed huge amounts of gravel into the valley on the scree slopes of the Silberspitze (2461 meters) – an immense mudslide formed within just ten minutes.
Giant mudslide in Tyrol: Avalanche of mud and gravel crushes almost everything in its path
The 50-meter-wide avalanche of mud and gravel rolled over pretty much everything in its path on its way to the Inn: In the upper area, the commander of the Zams Volunteer Fire Department, Hermann
According to Ladner, a forest path was torn away, and in the valley the rubble buried the B171 federal road, which runs parallel to the motorway from Innsbruck to Vorarlberg.
The mudslide occurred only about 180 meters from the base of the ÖAMTC Christophorus rescue helicopter and stopped just a few meters from the flooded Inn River. According to Landeck police, no one was injured.
Forest path towards Steinseehütte torn away – hiking group stuck on the mountain
However, a hiking group of four adults and four children had the problem that the mudslide had washed away the forest road towards the Steinseehütte, which they had taken to the Alpe Alfuz car park. On the way back, they were surprised by the storm below the Silberspitze. The way back was cut off. The family waited at the Garseilwiese and was flown safely into the valley by a police helicopter.
Landslide destroys B171 in Zams: “It will take a few more days until the road is passable again”
The police had to close the three-meter-deep road, and a state geologist was supposed to oRf assess the situation. A diversion was set up for vehicle traffic via the Inntal motorway (A12). The vignette requirement was lifted for the affected section between Schönwies and Zams, the Landeck police announced. The Zams fire brigade was deployed with 33 men, the Schönwies fire brigade with 13 men and the Landeck fire brigade with a drone and five men.
On Monday, a construction company commissioned by the authorities removed the gravel masses with an excavator and wheel loader. By midday, one lane of the B171 was free again, and traffic lights were in operation. The forest road is still damaged. “It will take a few more days until the road is passable again,” said the commander of the Zams fire brigade, Hermann Ladner, at IPPEN.MEDIA.
The southeast of Austria was also hit by severe storms; a plane was so badly damaged by hail during its approach that the pilots had to land blind in Vienna. In eastern Tyrol, there were severe hailstorms on the border with Bavaria. On Saturday, apocalyptic scenes occurred in Styria.
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