Snowy weather causes traffic jams, power outages in Austria
Xinhua, April 20, 2017 Adjust font size:
A return of snowy winter weather in Austria on Wednesday has led to numerous problems including traffic jams and power outages which lasted till Thursday, local media reported.
On Wednesday evening, parts of two Autobahn motorways were closed due to massive traffic jams which was often caused by cars already fitted with summer tires getting stuck.
Some people were not able to make the trip home, and were forced to stay in emergency quarters.
On Thursday, an improvement in the conditions saw the closures lifted, though Transport Minister Joerg Leichtfried called for the extension of the use of compulsory winter tires on heavy vehicles by another month.
In addition, about 25,000 households in the state of Lower Austria experienced power outages overnight, though the affected number had been reduced to just over 1,000 by Thursday morning.
Fire brigade personnel have also been working overtime to remove fallen trees and branches from roads, that could otherwise lead to potentially dangerous situations. Endit