Ten people rescued

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Seven cars were caught in the mudslide on the Eisenstraße.

(Bild: Feuerwehr Vordernberg)

A huge stroke of luck for several drivers on the Präbichl in Styria: the heavy rain triggered several mudslides on Monday evening and seven cars were swept away by the mudslides. Miraculously, no one was injured.

It was only at the beginning of August that the Eisenstraße (B 115) up to the Präbichl was closed after mudslides. On Monday evening, the fire departments had to be called out again. The soil, softened by the recent rainfall, had no chance against the heavy rainfall and several mudslides were the logical consequence. Seven cars were caught in the mudslides and swept away. "We were able to rescue a total of ten people and four dogs, the mudslide buried the road over a total length of around 100 meters," Christian Lanner, commander of the Vordernberg fire department, told the Krone.

The drivers had to be rescued by the fire department.

(Bild: Feuerwehr Vordernberg)

Mud is 50 centimeters high
The cars were stuck in 30 to 50 centimetres of mud and debris, and the owners were no longer able to open the doors themselves. "We first checked to see if the people were injured, of course, but fortunately that wasn't the case. So first of all, we worked with the local authority to clear a lane and after an hour and a half we were able to free everyone," continues Lanner.

One car had to be towed away
Miraculously, all the drivers were uninjured. All but one of the cars were also roadworthy. The clean-up work will take some time, the Eisenstraße is currently closed and the only way out is via the A9. An inspection with a regional geologist and the road maintenance department took place on Tuesday morning.

"It's never been this bad"
"This is the third time this place has been buried this year," says Vordernberg Mayor Walter Hubner (SPÖ). "But it's never been as bad as this time. It was a huge stroke of luck that no one was injured." Two immediate measures are now being implemented: "Firstly, the area where the road crosses the Silbergraben is being excavated and then concrete elements are being erected to prevent everything from being buried again in the event of another landslide," explains the head of the village.

The B115 will therefore remain closed for at least this week. The Friesacher Straße (B 317) between Scheifling and the Perchauer Sattel is also currently closed - a mudslide has also occurred here and the closure will last several days.