170 people evacuated

Fire alarm: car caught fire in the Katschberg tunnel

The car was already fully engulfed in flames when the fire department arrived.(Bild: FF Rennweg Katschberg)

The Katschberg tunnel on the Tauern highway had to be closed on Sunday evening. 170 people had to be evacuated. Two men from the Austrian Armed Forces created a relaxed atmosphere. 

The emergency services had their hands full in the Katschberg tunnel on Sunday evening. A car had burst into flames there. "Due to the heavy traffic, 170 people had to be evacuated. We had to guide a total of 60 vehicles out of the tunnel," the emergency services explain. The courage of two young members of the armed forces was particularly noteworthy.

Two young men from the army lightened the tense atmosphere in the tunnel.(Bild: FF Rennweg Katschberg)

"Winfried Kautz and his comrade Karl Watschinger showed real civil courage and were able to calm children and adults alike," said the emergency services gratefully. 

In the meantime, the fire departments got on with their work. Both tubes had to be closed. And that caused an extreme loss of time. There was not only congestion on the highway, but also on the main roads on the Carinthian and Salzburg sides. "Both tubes had to be closed because the emergency services were in the other tunnel tube," it says. No one was injured.