In St. Gilgen (Salzburg), a slope of more than ten hectares has been moving since Thursday. As a precaution, the municipality closed the road to the Illingerberg over the weekend. There is a danger to life in the affected area above the Steinbachgraben, also from spontaneously falling stones.
The good news: According to state geologists, there is currently no danger to settlements and civilians from the landslide in St. Gilgen. Nevertheless, the situation is being closely monitored by Rainer Braunstingl and his team, as well as the affected farming community and federal forests. “The movement has already slowed down considerably and everything is slowly coming to rest. About one million cubic meters and the equivalent of two million tons of ballast material is moving,” says Braunstingl.
13 meter pro tag
According to the national geologist, the slope still dropped 13 meters per day on Thursday, on Tuesday this value is already less than one meter. “The farming community and federal forests affected there are monitoring the situation on site several times a day, marking crevices and ditches and measuring by hand how fast the landslide still is,” says Braunstingl. A drone flight is also carried out daily by landowners. Aerial photos are also available here for experts to assess the situation.
Known “problem child”
The affected slope in St. Gilgen is a known “problem child”. “Geologically, this is a typical crawl slope. There is a lot of gravel here on a piece of rock. Something is going to happen soon. The last big slide here was 20 years ago,” says Rainer Braunstingl. He emphasizes: “Entering the landslide is life-threatening and the areas around it should also be avoided.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
