Danger in East Tyrol

Mountain crumbles: Stones threaten to fall down

The mountain will be monitored throughout the year.(Bild: Peter Maier)

There is still an acute danger to life in Innervillgraten in East Tyrol after a rockfall. One farm remains evacuated. The municipality is hoping that safety measures will be put in place soon. 

Farmer Albrecht Ortner is still living in a state of emergency. The farmer and his mother (86) are still unable to return to their house in Innervillgraten because the mountain has been constantly crumbling since January and rocks are crashing directly behind the property.

"The mountain is moving a lot. Unfortunately, there is still no all-clear," says Innervillgraten's mayor Andreas Schett. "Another 30,000 cubic meters of material are threatening to fall."

Searching for the right measure
The experts have not yet been able to agree on a safety measure. "It's difficult to say which measure is the best." However, the head of the municipality is pushing for a solution. "There will be a round table in mid-March. It will hopefully soon be decided whether part of the building has to be demolished and the farmstead secured with rubble and wall constructions or whether the top of the hill will be removed."

Blasting is currently ruled out: "That would only make the mountain move even more and pose further dangers."