Back on the Arlberg

Storm: Mudslide sweeps bridges away, valley closed

The masses of water from the Malfonbach stream swept away huge chunks of rock and debris.(Bild: BFV Landeck)

Another severe storm hit the Arlberg region in Tyrol. The municipality of Pettneu was affected: a bridge was torn away by a mudslide in the Malfontal valley on Thursday evening. The valley is currently closed. Overnight guests at the Edmund Graf Hut had to descend to Kappl.

"Between 6.30 and 7.30 pm, a storm with heavy rain fell in the area of the Hoher Riffler," explains Pettneu Mayor Patrik Wolf. Extreme torrents thundered down from the Riffler into the Malfontal and carried a lot of material with them. The mudslide tore away the so-called Fernerbrücke bridge at around 1400 meters - the only bridge for vehicles and pedestrians into the valley. "Parts of the path were also destroyed in this area and pastureland was mired," explains the head of the village.

Rosanna had to be cleared
But that was not all: the mudslide rolled with the stream into the mouth of the Rosanna near the "Reschenwiese" residential area. "The Rosanna was pushed to one side, but the damming carried out in 2012 tamed the stream so that no houses were damaged," the mayor breathes a sigh of relief. In 2010, houses were mired here during a storm. "We have already cleared the Rosanna so that it doesn't back up," says Wolf. 

Temporary bridge in two weeks?
Those responsible are now trying to create a crosswalk over the Malfonbach as quickly as possible. "But we need at least two weeks for a temporary bridge for vehicles," says the mayor. This will be necessary because there are almost 100 young cattle on the Malfonalm, which will soon have to return to the valley.

A second, smaller mudslide has also caused damage to the road in the upper part of the Malfon Valley. According to reports, however, the damage was not as severe.

The Rosanna was pushed to one side, but the damming carried out in 2012 tamed the stream so that no houses were damaged.

Patrik Wolf, Bürgermeister Pettneu am Arlberg

Valley closed due to danger to life
Due to the mudslide, the Malfontal valley is closed to pedestrians and all vehicle traffic until further notice due to the danger to life. 

Dozens of people in the mountain hut
In the evening, 50 guests were staying at the Edmund Graf Hut, which can be reached via the valley. On Friday, they safely descended to Kappl via a different route to Paznaun. 

Luckily, according to the police, no one was injured.

Two weeks ago in St. Anton ...
Two weeks ago in St. Anton am Arlberg there were serious mudslides and flash floods, vehicles and houses were caught up in the masses of earth and water. At least 35 buildings were damaged, as well as several bridges and roads. 

The Arlbergstraße was also affected by mudslides on both the Vorarlberg and Tyrolean sides in the course of the storms. A large landslide had displaced the road on the Tyrolean side near St. Anton. In Vorarlberg, a mudslide hit the road near St. Christoph am Arlberg and the entire road was displaced.