All-clear after alarm

Evacuations possible around Innsbruck train station

In the evening, Südtiroler Platz in front of the main railway station was cordoned off.(Bild: Manuel Schwaiger)

Extensive closures were necessary around Innsbruck's main railway station on Monday evening. According to the city, an "anomaly" was discovered during excavations. This could indicate a war relic, it said. After several hours, the all-clear was given. 

In the run-up to construction work at the Südtiroler Platz/Brixner Straße intersection, an anomaly was registered during ground investigations - according to a press release from the city of Innsbruck, which was sent out on Monday afternoon. There is a possibility that an aerial bomb is lying dormant underground in the area.

All major emergency organizations are ready in case of an emergency.

Pressemeldung Stadt Innsbruck

Only after the bomb has been uncovered will it be possible to assess what further measures are necessary. These could extend to possible evacuations of the surrounding area, it said. And further: "All essential emergency organizations are ready for an emergency." 

Securing the affected area began at 8 p.m. 
At around 8 p.m., work began to cordon off the area in front of the main railway station. Local driving bans for motor vehicles and closures for pedestrians were issued. In addition to the police, ambulance and municipal services, the demining service of the Austrian Armed Forces was called in. The experts arrived on site in the evening. 

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No aerial bomb, but metal splinters
The all-clear was given at around 10.15 pm. The anomaly was not a dangerous aerial bomb from the war, but merely the remains of a war relic. "Contamination material including metal splinters caused by a bomb hit the site and made the measures necessary," said the city. 

The reason for the operation was the work being carried out by Innsbrucker Kommunalbetriebe AG (IKB) and TIGAS for a new groundwater network and the laying of district heating pipes at Bozner Platz, which is taking place in several construction phases on construction sites from Bozner Platz via Brixner Straße to Innsbruck's main railway station.