Fatal rockfall in Austria claims lives of two workers

Two excavator operators lost their lives during a large rockfall at Christkindl in Steyr, Austria on February 8, 2023. The tragic incident occurred despite efforts to mitigate the hazard at the site. The rockfall is estimated to be around 3 000 m³ (105 944 feet³) in total.

On February 8, 2023, a large rockfall occurred in the town of Steyr in Austria, resulting in the tragic loss of two lives. Both of the deceased were operators of excavators working at the site, according to reports by Dr. Dave Petley of The Landslide Blog.

The slope at Steyr had been identified as potentially unstable over a year ago, and operations were being carried out to mitigate the hazard. Despite the efforts, the rockfall occurred, and the complexity of the site made it difficult to recover the bodies of the victims, which took almost a week.

The houses at the foot of the slope had been evacuated during the works, and while the boulders missed the main parts of the houses, some smaller structures were destroyed.

The location of the incident is in the town of Christkindl, which is situated in the municipality of Steyr, in the Upper Austria region of Austria.

Aerial photographs of the event can be found here.

References:

¹ The 8 February 2023 rockfall in Steyr, Austria – The Landslide Blog – February 20, 2023

Featured image credit: Peter Kainrath/Steyr News