The airline clarified in a statement to AFP that the crew had no prior indication of the storm’s presence on radar. The aircraft transmitted a distress call but successfully landed at the airport without any passenger injuries during the brief ordeal.
Television footage displayed the airplane bearing visible hail impact on its front cockpit windows, a missing nose section, and some detached panels. “I believe we were approximately 20 minutes away from landing when we penetrated a hailstorm and turbulence commenced,” recounted Emily Oakley, a passenger aboard the flight, in a message to ABC News. Oakley noted the audible impact of hail within the cabin as it struck the aircraft, describing the force as significant.
Notably, Austria has been grappling with severe storms for days, with one individual’s whereabouts currently unknown. A 77-year-old man, who departed to vote in the European elections yesterday, has not returned to his home in Misendorf (eastern Austria) since. Authorities are actively searching for him. The adverse weather conditions have particularly affected the southern region of Burgenland, adjacent to Slovenia and Hungary, leading to substantial damages, including a breached dam. Flooding has blocked roads, and inundated basements and fields, prompting over 2,000 firefighting interventions across various areas. Rising water levels in rivers and lakes due to successive heavy rains in recent weeks have heightened concerns. In Styria (southeastern Austria), local officials informed AFP that six polling stations were submerged or inaccessible due to flooding.
Streets turned to rivers in parts of Austria at the weekend. Heavy rainfall caused damaging flooding and landslides. pic.twitter.com/9NdHDoxdMm
— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) June 10, 2024
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