Swept by mudslide – severe storms killed in Carinthia

Although several people have already been rescued from their homes, county councilor Fellner says the search for two missing people remains dramatic. An eyewitness claims to have seen a car on its way to the canyon was swept away by a stream of debris. There is still no trace of that person.

There is sad certainty about the whereabouts of the 82-year-old retiree! After a long search, his body was found a few meters from the house.

Popular Pilsachhof flooded
The animal paradise Pilsachhof in Arriach also fell victim to the masses of water and mud. The Pilsachhof was home to countless rescued animals. Cats, dogs, rabbits, donkeys, ponies…

Two ponies, two donkeys, two horses, a sheep, two rabbits, eight cats and all the chickens that lived there did not survive.

Fallen trees, flooded paths
The districts of Villach and Villach-Land in Carinthia were particularly hard hit. “Some communities in the area are no longer accessible by road!”, the LAWZ reports. Landslides, floods and hail make roads and paths impassable and trees have fallen. Now the military has to leave to help people trapped in those communities. “People are being asked not to leave their homes and to stay on the first floor if possible.” The danger of mudslides and torrential rains is too great.

“People are in their homes without electricity or water and completely cut off from the outside world, waiting for help. The area is closed from the roundabout meeting. At the top, the helicopter circles over the valley. Cars were washed away, the bridge in the wasteland was torn away, as was the Affritz power station. The Affritzerbach has overflowed its banks due to mudslides and heavy rainfall. The last time something like this happened was in July 1946, my father often talked about it,” says Heinz Rauter, a resident of Treffen.

Civil protection warning in Arriach
Also in Arriach, a civil protection warning had to be activated, because this community is also cut off from the surrounding area. Arriach Mayor Gerald Ebner said: “Disaster, all rivers have overflowed, all roads are torn away. Arriach is cut off from the outside world and unreachable. The civil defense alarm has gone off.” In the medium term it is hoped to be able to drive via Feldkirchen and the Teuchen, but when is not yet clear.

In the Hundsdorf district of Arriach, about 150 people are without drinking water because the mains network is badly damaged. Almost the entire municipal area would be without power, the telephone network is also severely limited!

Van der Bellen reports via Twitter
With a view to the destruction, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also spoke via Twitter. He called on the population to “Take good care of yourself & your fellow human beings” and thanked the aid organizations. Governor Peter Kaiser (SPÖ) broke off a trip to Brussels “to help the people as best as possible”. Kaiser said in a video message that he would join emergency services late in the evening.

Civil protection alarm also in Salzburg
Meanwhile, a civil defense alarm has also been declared in Salzburg, especially for the residents of Tamsweg in Lungau. The Leißnitzbach is under water, the population was asked to stay in their houses, not to enter underground parking garages and cellars and to stay away from the banks and bridges.