Carinthia puts 2,500 responders through disaster drill

About 2,500 emergency responders took part in a statewide disaster exercise in Carinthia on Friday, simulating a major earthquake and its possible consequences, ORF reported.

The “Combined Success 2026” scenario included landslides, chemical accidents, building collapses and gas leaks. At the Donau Chemie plant, responders practised dealing with a simulated chlorine leak caused by earthquake damage. The scenario involved the release of about 100 kilograms of chlorine and called for evacuations within 1,500 metres of the plant.

As part of the drill, a building was evacuated and people wore escape hoods to protect themselves from the gas, which is toxic to breathe and can be fatal. Plant manager Reinhold Fleißner said the leak was later contained and the chlorine neutralised using the facility’s emergency absorption system. The scenario was revised to show that nobody had been injured.

Another exercise took place at the kärnten.museum, where a ceiling collapse trapped two school classes. The scenario included injured and buried people, as well as pupils hiding in panic. Rescue teams first focused on protecting people; after the building was declared safe, museum staff and firefighters began securing artworks from the affected rooms.

The exercise also activated some of Carinthia’s 153 “lighthouses”, designated emergency help and shelter points, including one in Glanegg. The focus there was on practising alert procedures.

Energy company Kelag practised responding to a simulated power cut that left 26,000 households without electricity. Participants also tested communications in case mobile phone networks were temporarily unavailable.

Tags: Carinthia, emergency services, disaster exercise