Flood, Muren: civil defense alarm in the Lungau
The population is asked to stay indoors, not to enter underground car parks and cellars and to keep away from banks and bridges. Because of the heavy rain, the Leißnitzbach threatens to burst its banks because driftwood could block the flow.
The situation came to a head in the morning, says Christoph Wiedl, disaster officer for the Tamsweg district authority: “The Leißnitz has reached its limits, some have already leaked slightly. And because of the many bridges in the lower market area, blockages are of course massively threatening.”
Levels have not yet dropped
“It’s not raining at the moment, but the water level hasn’t dropped yet,” said section fire brigade commander Harald Graggaber to APA in the early afternoon: “Control work is currently taking place, and crane trucks are on the way to lift everything out of the stream that could lead to blockages . We hope to be able to do this quickly because there will be precipitation again in the afternoon and the water levels could rise again.”
Cut off the Göriach district
In the small community of Göriach, too, the fire brigade had to move out due to the heavy rainfall. A district was cut off from the outside world by a mudslide. The residents are doing well, it said in a broadcast from the country.
Most of the fire brigades in Lungau have been on duty since Tuesday evening. There are currently around 350 emergency services. Muren went off in Tamsweg and Ramingstein. The Murtalstraße (B96) had to be partially closed, as did the Prebersee Straße (L262) between Tamsweg and the state border.
Muren railway closed
The Murtalbahn also stopped operating: “After last night’s storms, an exploratory trip was carried out, and it was found that there were several track blockages due to slight debris accumulation,” said Markus Griesangerl from the Steiermarkbahn railway operator. “Stones, earth and small trees fell onto the rails, and the track bed was slightly undermined at one point.” The construction service is now working with the fire brigade to make the route passable again. A rail replacement service has been set up, the closure is initially valid until 6 p.m.
Fire engine crashed during clean-up work
During the clean-up work, a fire truck from the Ramingstein volunteer fire department also had an accident. Six firefighters were injured in the accident, two of them seriously. But there was no danger to life. For safety reasons, the Murtalbahn was also stopped near Kendlbruck, but passengers were never in danger and there were no major delays, according to district fire brigade commander Johannes Pfeiffenberger.