Three workers hospitalized in salvage of Kaprun disaster train

The two staff members of Austrian Railways (OEBB) and one police officer were discharged after checks Tuesday afternoon, said the police investigator heading operations, Major Franz Lang. He spoke of difficult conditions in the operation to find the cause of the mountain train inferno on November 11. The salvage work was expected to last until the end of this month.

Teams were struggling against exhaustion in the cold and damp Kitzsteinhorn tunnel. On Tuesday a change of wind hindered ventilation and led to a buildup of carbon monoxide gas. "Technical difficulties are causing delays of a few hours or half a day," said Lang. But the workers had already managed to erect a system of anchoring points which would be used to lift the burned-out train and its track on to a special conveyance to bring it down to the valley.

At the same time, forensic investigators were collecting rubble in the tunnel for possible clues. Seventy sacks had been flown to the valley, and would be minutely examined. It was possible that jewellery belonging to the victims would be found. The operation which began on January 30 is considered a difficult and sensitive one. Experts point out that the weight of the wreck is about 16 tons, and there is little room for manoeuvre inside the steeply-sloping tunnel.

The parts of the wreck and the track may not be moved against each other, or else valuable evidence could be destroyed, they say. Most investigators believe the cause of the disaster will only be known with certainty after the train has been brought to the valley for detailed examination.

However, the magazine Profil recently quoted the Vienna Criminal Forensic Center as saying the cause was already fairly certain. Austria's worst disaster in half a century was presumed to have been caused by a small electric convector heater in the rear driver's cabin, it said.

(la/dpa)