Avalanche in Austria takes away several people. Tourist seriously injured

An avalanche that occurred Tuesday afternoon in the Huettschlag commune in Salzburg carried away three people, local rescue services reported. All three tourists buried under the snow were rescued, but one of the people suffered serious injuries. It was a 56-year-old German citizen.

Mountain rescue services are appealing for caution, pointing out that strong winds have blown away some of the fresh snow that is not connected to the ground, which further increases the risk of avalanches.

On Tuesday, Austrian police reported fifth flood death in Lower Austria. It was an 81-year-old woman who died in the town of Tulln an der Donau, drowning in her own home, which was flooded by the waters of the rising Danube.

The governor of the state, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, said that the flood situation had begun to improve, but remained difficult. In turn, the deputy to the local parliament, Stephan Pernkopf, emphasized that rescue and clean-up operations were underway in many places. “The area is still being secured, we are rescuing people, pumping water. Where possible, we are cleaning up together. Compensation will be paid from the natural disaster fund from Wednesday,” Pernkopf said.

So far, around 2,400 people have been evacuated from 2,000 properties in Lower Austria. In 76 cases, it was necessary to use a helicopter. 24 locations remain cut off from the world. Currently, most of the efforts are concentrated in the Tullnerfeld and Pielachtal regions.

So far, 33,600 rescuers have taken part in the fight against the flood, including 800 soldiers from the armed forces.

On Tuesday evening, the Lower Austrian authorities decided to grant 75 million euros in emergency aid. “We will not let the people down,” the governor of Lower Austria emphasized in St. Pölten after a state cabinet meeting. The authorities will pay out aid of up to 20 percent of the total damage assessed. In difficult cases, aid can amount to up to 50 percent. In the meantime, the authorities in Vienna are restoring normal functioning of the city. The previously suspended metro lines have been running again since Wednesday. The situation at the construction site of the U2 line on Pilgramgasse was particularly difficult. On Sunday, the Danube burst the flood embankment next to the construction site. The water there was ten meters deep, but it has already been pumped out.