The crash of two freight trains on Friday at Fürnitz station (Villach-Land district) also caused serious damage to the environment: up to 80,000 liters of kerosene, the fuel used for aviation, escaped from the demolished tank cars and seeped into the ground – the groundwater was also polluted!
Soil has to be removed because of the spilled kerosene. It is still unclear how much of the 80 tons of kerosene ended up in the groundwater or how large the affected area is, explains Gerd Kurath of the Carinthian state press service.
Focus on disinfection
Because the kerosene in the groundwater spreads slowly, work is also done at weekends. Water is now no longer allowed to be extracted from utility water wells in the area, which are normally used for industrial purposes. The ÖBB said that up to 50 employees were on site with the clean-up work, with the focus being on cleaning up the soil and pumping out the remaining kerosene from the wagons.
The drinking water is not affected, it is purchased elsewhere, according to the state of Carinthia. So there is no danger to humans, it was emphasized. However, groundwater monitoring is planned for the coming weeks.
Five tank wagons with kerosene
The accident happened at 4:25 am. A 36-year-old German train driver was driving a freight train on the route from Thörl-Maglern to Villach, at the same time a 45-year-old train driver approached him with a freight train. For reasons that are still unclear, the train driven by the German crashed into the five rear wagons filled with kerosene of the 45-year-old.
The collision derailed two locomotives, broke through an adjacent noise barrier and ended up in the parking lot of an apartment building. Three cars were damaged in the parking lot. The accident also ignited the cargo on the wagons or the wagons themselves. “The kerosene itself did not burn,” said the ÖBB.
The 36-year-old train driver was injured and trapped in his cab. He was freed by the fire service with heavy equipment and taken to hospital. The second driver received a shock, according to the ÖBB.
Severe damage to infrastructure
Not only is the damage to the environment enormous, according to the ÖBB, the infrastructure has also been badly affected. This also affects train traffic: ÖBB long-distance trains can bypass the area locally, but local trains cannot stop in Fürnitz until further notice. The slow trains on line S4 will run between Arnoldstein and Villach Hauptbahnhof until probably Sunday 22 January as a replacement train service. The other regional trains do not stop in Fürnitz. Goods traffic will not be affected, according to the ÖBB.
Source: Krone
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