Driver got stuck with BMW in flooded field

Upper Austria’s fire brigades were in constant use last weekend: As reported, the heavy rainfall had led to small-scale flooding. Streams burst their banks, underpasses were under water, basements had to be pumped out – the volunteers went out more than 70 times, most of the operations were on Saturday – the OÖN reported in detail.

Car got stuck in the mud

And even on Monday, the masses of water had not retreated everywhere. The Alkoven fire brigade was called early in the morning to provide technical assistance near the village of Gstocket. Despite the obviously flooded road, a car driver had tried to drive on the connection between Bergham and the “Gelsendiele” inn. She almost made it, but shortly before reaching the dry “shore” the engine died and the car got stuck in the mud.

BMW recovered by crane

Nothing worked anymore, the technology went crazy: according to the fire department, the automatic could no longer be put in neutral, and all the brakes were active, the driver could no longer move with her BMW. The ÖMATC pulled the car a bit out of the morass with a rope, then the fire brigade moved in with heavy artillery.

Because no towing hooks were available and all wheels blocked, the car had to be lifted out of the water by crane. It was finally parked again at its destination, just a few hundred meters away. After about two and a half hours, the operation was over.

Lots of weekend work

Already on the days before, dozens of comrades from alcoves were on flood action. In the area of ​​the village of Straßham, for example, a stream burst its banks and flooded eight residential buildings. According to Burger, not only the basement was affected, but also living rooms that were “washed through”. “Compared to our other areas of responsibility, it was a relatively challenging mission,” said Martin Burger, commander of the Alkoven volunteer fire brigade, the OÖN on Saturday.

How’s the weather going?

The risk of further flooding should have been averted for the time being. According to meteorologist Michael Buschek from GeoSphere Austria, the beginning of the week will bring a continuation of the mixed weather up to and including Thursday, but at least the flood risk can be considered relaxed from a meteorological point of view in the next few days.

“From Friday things will then go in a more spring-like direction. But it won’t be a straight march through to early summer,” says Butschek. The temperature level in April will most likely settle down according to the season. But: “A return of the cold temperatures is relatively unlikely. The below-average phase is over.”

The weather forecast for your region can be found at nachrichten.at/wetter