Storm triggers more than 230 emergency callouts in Bruck district

A severe thunderstorm triggered more than 230 fire brigade callouts in the district of Bruck an der Leitha on Thursday evening, ORF reported. Heavy rain caused flooding, inundated roads and flooded basements within a short time.

The storm moved across the district at about 5.30 p.m. Firefighters also had to remove numerous fallen trees, and several rescues were required.

In Haslau an der Donau, people were rescued from a vehicle caught in floodwater. In Maria Ellend, a tree fell onto a residential building, while another tree struck a vehicle, according to the Lower Austria Fire Brigade Association.

More than 200 callouts had been recorded within a short time. The district command centre was activated to coordinate the large number of locations and manage the damage sites in a controlled manner, district fire brigade commander Christian Edlinger said.

By 7.30 p.m., the total had risen to more than 230 callouts. Fire brigades from across the district and the Vienna-Schwechat Airport company fire brigade were involved. A total of 26 volunteer fire brigades, with more than 300 members, were working at the scenes on Thursday evening.

Because of the number of locations, clean-up and safety work was expected to continue for some time, the Lower Austria Fire Brigade Association said.