A two-cubic-meter boulder hit the wall of the daycare center in Niedervintl. © South Tyrolean Fire Brigade Association
Landslides and mudslides after violent storms in South Tyrol. A rock weighing several tons crashes into a kindergarten.
Bolzano/Niedervintl – It could have ended in disaster. After heavy rainfall in Italy, a two-ton rock has come loose in the South Tyrolean town of Niedervintl (Pustertal). He crashed into the wall of a daycare center, which opened a little later.
When the teachers wanted to open the kindergarten at 8 o'clock in the morning, they were overwhelmed by a huge fright: a huge rock buck had hit the slope side of the daycare center. He had first smashed into a corner of the wall and then hit a second piece of wall again, where he left a hole in the wall and smashed the floor slabs in the garden.
Devastating storms in Italy cause landslide in South Tyrol: Rock thunders on the terrace of kindergarten
The approximately two-cubic-meter-large chunk of gneiss had come loose from a rock face 40 meters above, according to the deputy Vintl fire brigade commander Andreas Seeber. "This is a very steep slope, the rock rolled and slid down the slope, rolled over twice and felled a tree with a trunk diameter of 25 centimeters before hitting the house," the firefighter told our editors. Seeber is certain: "The tree would have slowed down the rock, otherwise it would have hit the house with full force."
Firefighters try to prevent © a slope from slipping further Provincial Fire Brigade Association of South Tyrol/Facebook
The timing was also lucky: In the whole province of South Tyrol there were reports on Thursday morning almost every minute such as: "7:30 a.m. a rockfall near Pontives at kilometer 10 on the road between Klausen and Pontives". The fire brigades could hardly keep up with the clearing and securing work.
The South Tyroleans, like all Italians, have waited a very long time for rain, now the waters know no stopping. "The rain was urgently needed," emphasizes Klaus Unterweger, director of the South Tyrolean Agency for Civil Protection, "but the site is now reacting accordingly, although minor events have occurred, but no major damage."
Civil defence: Hydrogeological phenomenon – dry soil does not absorb water masses in South Tyrol
What is happening is a hydrogeological phenomenon: "When the soil is saturated and the terrain slopes accordingly, geomorphological processes are set in motion, which is why landslides, rockfalls and debris flows may occur." The soil usually takes longer to react if it has been dry for a longer period of time due to the previous lack of rainfall.
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Severe storms in South Tyrol: Excavator clears away rocks © Provincial Fire Brigade Association of South Tyrol/Facebook
On Facebook, many citizens can't believe the happiness of the children and their educators: "OmG, all the marksmen have zamgholfen, as a thank you, many Liachtal will certainly be set on fire and thanked in prayer," says one user. Another writes: "You don't even want to think about what could have happened. The parents of the kindergarten children will also be in shock, as will everyone who was on duty."
Due to the extreme storms in Italy, a bridge has also collapsed – a video shows.