Overview
- Austrian operator Asfinag reports destroyed lighting, communications and fire‑detection lines, heavy roadway damage and concrete spalling along roughly the first 100 meters of the Brentenbergtunnel.
- The truck ignited after striking the portal Friday evening, burned out within minutes and was declared extinguished around 19:30; firefighters rescued the injured driver about 50 meters inside the tube.
- Traffic was diverted off the Tauernautobahn, with the B159 backing up more than 10 kilometers and delays reported across the region during peak holiday return travel.
- Engineers are assessing structural and safety systems and are evaluating whether limited counterflow in the opposite tube is feasible, with Asfinag emphasizing that safety will dictate any steps.
- Severe winter weather also triggered numerous crashes in Germany, including a head‑on in Dülmen that injured seven people, multi‑vehicle incidents on the A17 near Dresden, an A4 truck rollover, an A73 rollover injuring two and 38 weather‑related autobahn incidents logged by Ahlhorn police without injuries.