Vienna, July 19, (dpa/GNA) – Nearly 6,000 households in the Tirol region in Austria, still had no electricity on Wednesday, as a result of a storm front the previous day, the network operator Tinetz said.
During the worst part of the blackout, 18,000 households were without electricity, but by Wednesday some 5,700 remained affected.
The storm gusts had reached peaks of more than 160 kilometres per hour in the region on Tuesday. Roads and railway lines had to be closed due to fallen trees.
The railway line over the Brenner pass to Italy, was also affected at times, but at least one track was open again on Wednesday morning, the Austrian Federal Railways said.
Austria President Alexander Van der Bellen, wanted to travel by train to the opening of the Bregenz Festival, an annual lakeside opera festival, but had to switch to a car due to the weather. The head of state thanked all helpers in a video.
In the mountainous state of Salzburg, two cable cars came to a standstill, after a thunderstorm on Tuesday evening due to fallen trees. In Wagrain in the state of Salzburg, 144 people had to be rescued in a relief operation from the gondolas, in a rescue operation.
GNA