After the rock fall in the Steyr district of Unterhimmel, in which two excavator drivers died, there is still uncertainty regarding the future of the slope.
According to information from Wolfgang Gasperl, head of the Upper Austria section in torrent and avalanche control, there will be information for residents on Wednesday, March 8th. In the course of this event, information regarding what has happened so far and possible test results are to be presented.
After the bodies of the excavator drivers who died in the accident were recovered on Valentine’s Day, geologists and experts in torrent and avalanche control are still busy analyzing the conglomerate wall.
According to the spokesman for the city of Steyr, Michael Chvatal, new cracks have appeared and the wall is still dangerous. Therefore, the roadblock and the ban on entering the three houses will remain in place for the time being. The investigation and securing of the slope might drag on for months.
Two excavator drivers buried
On February 8th, during work to secure the slope, 3,000 cubic meters of rock came loose and buried two excavator drivers from a Carinthian specialist company. A salvage of their mortal remains was initially considered too dangerous, until finally a new access road was built, which now allows access to the accident site from below.
The rock masses also buried a summer house, destroyed a garage and damaged a corner of the house.
The affected residents are now increasingly doubting that they will return. According to the “Krone”, one of the evacuated families has very special difficulties when looking for a new home: their 13 cats, who are used to running free and who find it difficult to cope with the cramped four walls of their temporary accommodation.
