Spectacular scenes took place at local airports on Tuesday: as part of an anti-terrorist exercise in Graz, 100 men from the Cobra task force rescued passengers and crew – it was a test for an emergency that is becoming increasingly likely. A fatal collision took place in Vienna.
A team from the Cobra South task force spent hours negotiating with the men who, along with the passengers and crew, hijacked a plane in Feldkirchen near Graz, but in vain. Access seems to be the last resort: about a hundred Cobra aid workers storm the machine with so-called pedal vehicles, and a short time later two terrorists are removed.
The hostages are doing well and Libelle’s police helicopter can leave again. Everything happens within seconds – just like in an emergency.
An exercise in new dimensions
It is the largest exercise of its kind, which took place on Tuesday at Graz Airport under the title ‘Alpha 9’. “International guidelines call for such an exercise every two years. This year more than 500 people are involved,” says Doris Pölt, press spokesperson for Graz Airport. While in previous years there were scenarios such as a plane crash, this time it was a terrorist threat.
“Protecting citizens and employees is the highest priority,” explained State Police Director Gerald Ortner. It is becoming increasingly important to be prepared for these types of operations. “Eventually the unexpected will happen,” says Kurt Kornberger. And indeed: as location commander of Cobra Süd, he set up a scenario of which neither the elite police officers nor the observing passengers and crew of Eurowings were aware.
“Fire inferno after airport collision”
Emergency rehearsals also took place in Vienna on Tuesday: a plane collided with a passenger bus, resulting in dozens of injuries. The fire brigade and the Red Cross in particular played a major role in this scenario. Because all organizations must work together in the event of a disaster, communication between the emergency services must be trained. When deployed in Graz, rescue vehicles must also arrive on site as unnoticed as possible.
State Police Headquarters took over management of the operation as well as communications with the public. “The past few years have made it particularly clear to us that the unpredictable can happen at any time,” says Wolfgang Grimus, Managing Director of Graz Airport.
Source: Krone
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