When the 39-year-old driver saw smoke coming out of the engine compartment, he stopped the car in a layby. The Serb and two passengers were able to get to safety in time. Dozens of passengers in following vehicles were brought out of the danger zone via rescue tunnels and the second tunnel tube; some drivers were able to drive out of the tunnel themselves.
170 people affected
“A total of around 170 people were affected in both tunnels,” said Markus Pfeifenberger, commander of the St. Michael im Lungau volunteer fire brigade. Traffic in the 5,898-meter-long tunnel had to be closed in both directions for the operation. After the cleanup work was completed, the drivers were taken back into the tunnel by the fire brigade to collect their vehicles. The closure in the direction of Villach was lifted at 8:30 p.m., and the closure in the direction of Salzburg, where the fire had broken out, was lifted at around 10 p.m. No one was injured.
This article was updated at 10:29 am.
