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Destruction in the village of Treffen
Photo: Gert Eggenberger / dpa
A severe storm has left a trail of devastation in the Austrian state of Carinthia.
On Wednesday, the authorities issued a civil protection alert for the communities on Lake Ossiach and Arriach because of landslides and raging streams.
A warning had previously been given.
The population was instructed to take shelter on the first floor of their houses.
According to the broadcaster ORF, several trapped people were rescued by helicopter.
Bodies of water were flooding in a way that only happens every 30 years, said Johannes Moser, a hydrologist in the southern state, according to the dpa news agency.
The storm caused severe damage, especially in the area near Villach.
Some houses were buried up to the first floor.
Because of the mud masses, the road to the fire station in Treffen was initially blocked.
According to the ORF, around 7,500 households around Villach and in the Gelände valley were still without electricity in the morning.
Residents should get to safety in houses
Residents were asked to stay safe on the first floor of their homes.
Helicopters should bring supplies to the area.
According to the ORF, the Villach district captain Bernd Riepan said after the most recent meeting of the crisis management team that there was information and pictures of people who were in the enclosed areas.
It is extremely difficult because the places are currently not accessible from the outside.
Already on Tuesday evening, a storm with hurricane gusts in Carinthia had uprooted trees, cut power lines and covered roofs.
fek/dpa
