After rockfall

Rock avalanche blocks B 3: blasting necessary?

The Aggsteiner Straße (B 33) is to be reopened as soon as possible.

(Bild: privat)

Horror scenes took place in Aggsbach-Dorf in the district of Melk: a rock avalanche thundered - as reported - directly onto the B 33. The emergency services are in constant operation. It will be some time before the road is back in operation. Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner promised rapid assistance on site.

At least 13,000 cubic meters of rock thundered towards the Danube! A huge rockslide fell onto Aggsteiner Straße in the municipality of Schönbühel-Aggsbach on Monday - as reported by the "Krone" newspaper. One woman suffered injuries. It also became known that a bus could be stopped just in time. The area was quickly cordoned off after the accident, also to prevent onlookers from putting themselves in danger.

On Tuesday, emergency services and geologists were investigating and securing the slope. "The safety of the people has top priority. After that, we need to clear the traffic routes as quickly as possible," they said.

Help will be provided quickly. Road services and external companies will ensure that the B 33 is cleared as quickly as possible!

Landeshauptfrau Johanna Mikl-Leitner

Rapid assistance assured
Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner visited the disaster area on Tuesday afternoon. She promised rapid assistance and announced: "We will also use external companies for the clean-up work." The aim is to reopen Aggsteiner Straße to residents and visitors as quickly as possible. "However, the safety of the workers must first be ensured before work can actually begin," says an expert. Among other things, ground anchors and safety devices need to be installed.

In talks with representatives of the emergency services and the authorities, Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner also coordinated the next steps.

(Bild: NLK/Gerhard Pfeffer)

In order to prepare for the work, the Lower Austrian road service also used drones on Tuesday. It is not yet clear whether blasting will be required to remove the heavy stones.

The work is to be tackled quickly. Last but not least, it is also a matter of safety for the businesses in the region. "This road is an important traffic artery," says Mikl-Leitner. Solutions for cycle tourism in particular are now to be developed quickly, especially as the south bank is frequented by around 12,000 cycle tourists per month in the high season: "Creative solutions are needed here. And we have already set up a working group to find these."