Danube reopened for ships, but flood protection remains

From the border with Germany to Passau, ships are still being told to wait today, Friday. However, the waterway between Engelhartszell and the Aschach lock was opened at 8:15 a.m., and the stretches to Linz’s winter harbor followed at 9:45 a.m. From there, towards Vienna, the route was gradually opened over the course of Thursday. This meant that passenger and cargo ships could resume their journey after being closed for several days due to the flood.

• Read also: Flooding leaves behind not only mud but also many boat tourists (OÖNplus)

But the next heavy rain phases are already on the way for the weekend: “Heavy rain is expected across the entire Alpine region on Saturday,” says Maximilian Stärz from GeoSphere Austria (formerly: ZAMG). Sunday is also likely to be wet. And from the current perspective, the meteorologist is expecting continuous rain overnight into Monday. That could make the situation even worse.

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