Floods and snow in Austria ahead of pope visit

Vienna - The flood situation in Austria was deteriorating on Friday morning a few hours ahead of the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI. Pilgrims on their way to see the pope at the Mariazell sanctuary on Saturday were halted in their progress to the mountain pilgrimage site by heavy snowfalls, Austrian media reported. Two groups travelling to Mariazell from southern Austria were stopped by snowstorms and low temperatures. After several days of heavy rainfall, several cities are endangered by rising water levels. In the Lower Austrian capital St Poelten, the levels of the river Traisen rose by 2.6 metres within one hour on Friday morning. A number of roads in northern and eastern Austria were blocked by floods or mudslides. In the Alpine parts of the country, heavy snowfalls made mountain roads impassable. Experts hope for a decrease in rainfall in the course of Friday afternoon. In some regions, more than 250 litres of rain per square metre fell within the last 24 hours, more than the total monthly average. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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