© europics.at

20. 07. 09. - 16:00

• more General News news
• RSS Feed General News

20. 07. 09. - 16:00

Family survives chimney lightning strike

By David Rogers

An Upper Austrian escaped unhurt after a lightning bolt struck their home, flew down their chimney and sent an explosion ripping through the house.

Gerhard Strassmair said his family had just finished eating dinner at their home in Vorchdorf, Upper Austria when the strike hit.

He said plaster had been ripped off the walls, objects and shards of glass thrown across rooms and the house had filled with smoke.

Strassmair said: "Glass splinters flew through the dining room, the telephone sockets were ripped out of the wall and the telephone answering machine was thrown more than 10 metres."

But neither he, nor his wife nor their three children aged 22, 20 and eight were injured.

He admitted his house did not have any lightning rods to run a strike around the house away from danger. He said a neighbouring electrician had told him
rods could not prevent a lightning bolt from going down a chimney.

The strike came just days after a barn burnt to the ground last week in Upper Austria after it was struck by lightning.

One hundred and ninety fire fighters from 12 departments spent hours battling the blaze at a farm in Bad Zell in Freistadt district.

A 67-year-old farmer and his wife, 62, were unhurt, and neighbours and firemen managed to save 22 cows that had been in the barn when the lightning struck.

And just a day before twenty-one footballers were hospitalised after being struck by lightning in the middle of a game in Leoben, upper Styria.

Eyewitnesses said the lightning had come "out of the blue" at 9pm and been followed by torrential rain that had stopped ambulances and medical helicopters from getting to the scene for an hour afterwards.

Police said three of the 21 injured players – all male – were in critical condition.

Austrian Times

Higher cigarette prices on tap
Austria Tabak reported today (Fri) that the price of its 35 brands of cigarettes would increase by 10 to 20 cents a pack at the end of March.

RI's Croat subsidiary gets €30mn credit
Raiffeisen International’s (RI) Croatian subsidiary Raiffeisenbank Austria d.d. received a 30-million-Euro credit by the German Investment and Development Society (DEG), it was announced.

Austrian Catholics turn on church
Austrian Roman Catholics are up in arms over sex scandals involving local priests and children with increasing numbers threatening to quit the church.

Wolford's earnings up in first three quarters
Vorarlberg textile firm Wolford reported today (Fri) that its earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) had increased in the first three quarters of its 2009/2010 business year.

More foreign holidays planned this year
More Austrians are planning on holidays abroad this year after 2009 saw a drop in numbers, according to a study by public opinion research agency Karmasin.

Siemens Austria to lay off 500 to 600
Siemens Austria said today (Fri) it would lay off 500 to 600 of 2,000 workers in software division SIS (IT solutions and services) in the near future.

Graz police smash drug ring
An Iranian asylum seeker thought to be the boss of a drug-dealing gang has been arrested along with 11 cohorts, police said today (Fri).

Verbund could lose interest in French Poweo
Austrian energy provider Verbund’s 46 per cent interest in French electricity provider Poweo may become less valuable if the firm makes good on its threat to stop providing service to end customers.

Kasabian roll into Vienna
British indie rock giants Kasabian will return to Austria this summer, it has been revealed.

Paraglider crashes against bus
A 34-year-old paraglider escaped with bruises after smashing into a moving bus in Eben, Tyrol, yesterday (Thurs).