Devastating collision

Bus drama claims lives, four injured

One person was killed in a tragic collision between a car and a bus in the district of Mödling.(Bild: Privat z. V. g., Krone KREATIV)

A tragic accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Laab am Walde in the district of Mödling (Lower Austria): A car driver crashed into a coach carrying 43 people and lost his life. Numerous emergency services were deployed.

Dramatic scenes unfolded at around 4 pm on the B13 federal highway near Laab am Walde. For unknown reasons, the driver of the car crashed into the bus. The driver was trapped in the vehicle and succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the accident. The driver was probably a man from the district of St. Pölten.

Bus door had to be removed first
After the collision, the bus left the road and came to a halt on the side of an embankment. As a result, the bus doors on the right-hand side of the vehicle were blocked and the occupants were initially unable to leave the bus. Only when the fire department had removed the door using hydraulic shears were the passengers able to get out of the bus in this way and through a smashed side window.

There were 43 people on the bus at the time of the accident. Ten people suffered injuries, four of whom had to be taken to hospital after initial treatment. 39 bus passengers were transported from the scene of the accident to a fire station for further care.

Around 40 people had to be treated at the scene of the accident.(Bild: Privat z. V. g., Krone KREATIV)

Large contingent of rescue workers
According to "Krone" information, it was a bus from the Netherlands. The passengers were looked after by the Red Cross crisis intervention team. The rescue organization was deployed to the scene of the accident with 24 people, two emergency helicopters and other forces, and the Laab am Walde, Breitenfurt and Wolfsgraben fire departments were also alerted.

Soil had to be dug up at the scene of the accident until the evening hours due to the diesel spillage. The B13 was closed until around 9 pm.