Storm horror

Mudslide buries house – resident seriously injured!

Kaprun and Zell am See were particularly affected by the mudslides. The fire department is in constant operation.

(Bild: APA/EXPA/ JFK)

A mudslide caused one serious injury in Zell am See in Pinzgau on Sunday night. The masses of debris entered a house in the district of Thumersbach and caught the resident. Rescuing the man proved to be extremely difficult ...

At first there was no way through, the access road was blocked by masses of rubble, reported the Zell am See fire department. The emergency doctor had to be brought to the injured man with a Unimog.

Several mudslides in Pinzgau
A total of eleven fire departments with more than 260 helpers were in continuous operation in Salzburg during the night. The focus was on the Pinzgau region, with Kaprun and Zell am See being particularly affected, with mudslides having to be cleared for the most part. The emergency services still had their hands full in the morning.

Several roads in Pinzgau were mired.

(Bild: APA/EXPA/ JFK)

Access to glacier lift closed
In Kaprun, the situation was "very critical", reported Mayor Domenik David. The fire department had to clear traffic routes, pump out flooded buildings and divert various streams back into the riverbed. There were several landslides on the Schaufelberg, and access to the reservoirs and the glacier lift was closed.

Houses cut off from the outside world
The debris dams were already quite full after storms a few days ago and now had to be emptied, according to the head of the village. Two houses on the Schaufelberg are currently cut off from the outside world and the water supply is under threat. A replacement solution is being worked on. No injuries were reported from Kaprun.

In the municipality of Niedernsill, a mudslide buried the Mittersiller Straße (B168) during the night. No one was injured and buildings were spared. The fire department has now cleared the road and made it passable again.