On Lake Wörthersee

Motorboat crashed into raft with fireworks

The fire department had to collect parts of the raft and fireworks.

(Bild: FF Reifnitz)

Instead of a big fireworks display, the sky over Lake Wörthersee remained dark on Thursday evening. A large firework display had been planned for the end of the annual Marian procession, but an accident occurred ...

At around 10.30 p.m., a motorboat driver was underway near Maria Wörth. In the darkness, the 69-year-old apparently did not notice that something was lying in the water in front of his boat.

"The man collided with a raft that was equipped with a considerable amount of fireworks for the final fireworks display of the Marian procession," reported the police. "The raft was supposed to serve as a launching pad for the fireworks, but was badly damaged and sank as a result."

When we got there, it looked wild. Wooden planks, firework batteries and pipes were floating in the water. Everything was still wired up.

Friedrich Scheucher, FF Reifnitz

The raft has been at this spot for a long time and is often used for fireworks displays. "When we got there, it looked wild. Wooden planks, firework batteries and pipes were floating in the water. Everything was still wired up," says Friedrich Scheucher, commander of the Reifnitz fire brigade. "But the operators had already dismantled all the detonators, so there was no longer any risk of explosion."

The collected fireworks and launch tubes.

(Bild: FF Reifnitz, Krone KREATIV)

Several boats were involved in the salvage operation.

(Bild: FF Reifnitz)

Large pieces of raft were also floating on the lake.

(Bild: FF Reifnitz)

Fireworks floating on the lake
The fire department and water rescue team then spent a long time collecting the majority of the fireworks floating on the lake - the raft itself will not be recovered until Friday. "At the beginning, half of it was in the water, it was upright. Then it gradually sank because the floats were also damaged," continued Scheucher

"But that was very lucky for us. It is now at a depth of 15 meters - so it poses no danger to shipping traffic. We didn't have to secure the area."

With the exception of the missing fireworks, the traditional Marian procession was then able to continue without any further complications. The motorboat was only slightly damaged and a breathalyzer test on the 69-year-old man was negative. The 57-year-old raftsman and the motorboat driver were uninjured in the strange accident.