Twelve people were killed and 42 others injured in the accident. 40 vehicles were involved in the devastating collision. The memorial service was celebrated by the Archbishop of Salzburg, Franz Lackner.
- From the archive: 20 years of the Tauern Tunnel fire disaster: “Get out and run away to the back”
In addition to representatives from politics, the church and Asfinag, survivors of the accident also took part in the ecumenical service. “At the moment of the catastrophe that claimed twelve lives a quarter of a century ago and left its mark on countless others forever, humanity was also shown through courageous, determined and self-sacrificing efforts. We also want to think of that when we come together here today,” emphasised the archbishop. State Governor Wilfried Haslauer said that nothing could replace the twelve human lives, “but together we will ensure that everything is done in our country to ensure that such disasters cannot happen again.”
Haslauer, Deputy Governor Stefan Schnöll, Transport Officer, and Asfinag Board Member Hartwig Hufnagl also addressed the numerous investments in tunnel safety that have since been made in Austria and Salzburg.
Fire reached temperatures of 1,200 degrees
On May 29, 1999, at 4:55 a.m., a 27-year-old driver from Upper Austria drove into the – at that time the only – lane of a line of vehicles that had stopped at a traffic light, probably because he had fallen asleep for a second. Four cars were crushed between two trucks to such an extent that for days it looked as if only one car had got caught between the heavy vehicles. The fire was caused by a truck loaded with 24,000 highly explosive spray paint cans. The fire reached a temperature of 1,200 degrees and not only destroyed human lives and infrastructure, but also destroyed evidence that could have provided more information about the course of the accident.
67 people were able to escape from the tunnel. Those who were not able to do so were left without rescue: the fire brigade was only able to enter the tunnel gradually in the afternoon due to the enormous smoke and the intense heat, and the fire was declared “out” after almost 17 hours. Twelve people lost their lives in the accident, five were native Poles who had lived in Germany, two were Belgians, two were Bosnians, two were Austrians and one was from Greece.
Trigger for “tunnel safety offensive”
Three months after the accident, the tunnel was reopened to traffic. The accident also triggered a “tunnel safety offensive” by Asfinag, which has since invested around 5.8 billion euros in Austria in the construction of second tunnel tubes and new escape tunnels, in improved monitoring and in a whole host of new technology.
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Source: Nachrichten
