Austria swells

Shock after death mure – and already new warnings

Sadness in St. Marein. A five-year-old was buried by a mudslide there. Now severe weather warnings are looming again.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Ferdl/KK)

Thunderstorm fronts with heavy rain and hail have been keeping Austria on tenterhooks for days. Masses of water - up to 100 liters per square meter within 24 hours - soften the ground and loosen it from the subsoil. Even after the death tragedy near Graz, the danger is still not over. Temperatures are rising, but heavy showers and thunderstorms could cause damage again at the weekend.

A week ago, the Aggsteiner Straße (B 33) in the district of Melk (Lower Austria) had to be closed after a mudslide. Huge boulders had crashed onto the road. A cyclist was injured. In Tyrol, landslides and mudslides occurred due to the heavy rainfall. And in Zillertal, rocks and debris thundered down recently.

Styria hit hard by storms
However, Styria was hit particularly hard. A mudslide blocked the Pyhrn highway (A 9) near Übelbach - and now the fatal drama in which a five-year-old was killed by a mudslide. 

The danger of severe weather is still not over. Although the sun is fighting its way through and it is getting warmer, heavy showers and thunderstorms could move through the country again at the weekend and cause major damage.

Fear of renewed danger in St. Marein
There is therefore also great fear in St. Marein. On Wednesday evening, members of the Petersdorf volunteer fire department dug with their bare hands and shovels until they were completely exhausted looking for the child who had been buried by masses of earth shortly before.

"Everything that can be done"
The alarm was raised at 5.14 pm, "when we arrived at the scene of the accident, neighbors were already digging frantically in the earth. We then joined them and helped with shovels and really did everything we could," says Floriani Gottfried Hofer, visibly drawn.

Floriani Gottfried Hofer on the dramatic operation

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian)

As the affected area in St. Marein bei Graz is a steep slope, trees that were also threatening to slide down had to be provisionally secured at the same time. "We shoveled until the last spark of hope died," Hofer told Krone, shortly after it became a sad certainty that the little boy could no longer be saved.

We shoveled until the last spark of hope died.

Gottfried Hofer

Second mudslide victim out of danger
A woman had gone for a walk in a nearby forest with her two children and two friends when the tragic accident occurred. After persistent rainfall, a good 1000 cubic meters of soil suddenly came loose. Two of the children were buried, but the all-clear was given early on Friday morning for the one who was rescued injured: "The young patient is in the pediatric surgery ward, he has minor injuries, there is no danger to his life," said Simone Pfandl-Pichler from Graz University Hospital, where the child was taken by helicopter.

A constant trickling noise could be heard during the rescue operation. The site of the accident had to be cordoned off over a large area.

Der steirische Landesgeologe Martin Schröttner

"The community is incredibly sad"
In an initial statement, the mayor was just as deeply affected: "The people in the community are incredibly sad, the events have gone through everyone's heart", said Franz Knauhs, head of St. Marein bei Graz. The family had been living in the community for a long time and the boys had only "recently moved back into the community with their children".

Styrian Governor Christopher Drexler was also deeply affected.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian)

Threat of new landslides in forests
Provincial geologist Martin Schröttner examined the site of the accident: "Sand was mined here a long time ago, probably decades ago." There is an almost vertical drop of five to six meters. The area is heavily overgrown and there are old, mighty trees on the edge of the slope. These now have to be felled so that the police can safely begin securing evidence.

Warning against walking in the forest
In general, the Styrian provincial authorities warn against walking in the forest: "The danger is great! There may be new landslides and even low wind speeds could uproot trees.