Tragedy in Schärding

Police officers dug with their hands for buried victims

Due to the delicate situation, every step had to be planned precisely.

(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger © Daniel Scharinger)

They tried everything: two police patrols dug with their bare hands for the two missing people in the tragedy in Schärding (Upper Austria). Then, during the night, the terrible certainty: both buried victims are dead. It took hours before the bodies could be recovered. 

At 2.20 p.m. on Tuesday, the Lower Schärding town square fell completely silent. "Absolute silence", a soldier ordered the paramedics, police officers and firefighters standing around the building. Inside, special forces were using sensitive sound detection to search for signs of life from two trapped workers.

Due to the delicate situation, every step had to be carefully planned.

(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger © Daniel Scharinger)

The drama unfolded in the middle of Schärding's old town.

(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger © Daniel Scharinger)

What had happened?
Five hours earlier, shortly after 9 a.m., a ceiling measuring around 20 square meters had collapsed during renovation work in a bookshop, burying two men (23) - believed to be two Syrian asylum seekers.

Structural engineers determined that there was a risk of collapse
Two police patrols were the first on the scene after the terrible accident. They were still digging with their bare hands for the two missing people, and the fire department also immediately set about the rescue work. "But in the meantime, a second ceiling and parts of the upper floor kept collapsing," reported fire department commander Markus Furtner. Around 45 minutes after the accident, structural engineers issued a warning: the building was in acute danger of collapsing and entry was expressly forbidden!

The aerial photo shows the Silberzeile from above.

(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger © Daniel Scharinger)

Entrepreneur was only just able to save himself
The search for the buried victims therefore had to be interrupted and the two neighboring buildings were evacuated. "But as long as there is hope, we'll keep working," was the motto of the emergency services. In addition to sound detection by the specially requested Austrian Armed Forces, the earthquake search dogs from Linz were also called in. Drilling equipment was also used to gain access to the collapsed bookshop via outbuildings. 

In the early evening, the emergency services managed to get into the bookshop from the neighboring building in Silberzeile, which is the SPÖ office in Schärding. Two rubble dogs, which had already been used in an earthquake in Turkey, were sent in.

Unfortunately, all efforts to rescue those trapped remained unsuccessful until late at night. The bodies of the men were found at around midnight or shortly after 1 a.m., but the emergency doctor was only able to determine that they were dead. After the discovery, it took until the early hours of the morning before the bodies were finally recovered. A building contractor from Innviertel was lucky: he was just able to escape from the collapsing room.

"Little chance of survival"
Fire chief Furtner, who did everything possible with his team, had already feared in the evening: "Unfortunately, the chance of survival is very, very slim." The cause of the terrible accident is still being investigated. 

A good 80 people from seven fire departments were deployed, as well as police and search dogs, rescue workers, structural engineers and a construction and demolition company. The Austrian Armed Forces were on site with rescue and recovery experts from the NBC defense. A remote-controlled excavator robot was also used.