Power cut affects 4,000 Tyrolean homes

Thousands of homes and offices in Tyrol were without electricity for more than half an hour this morning (Tues).

A short circuit – which happened during work on a transformer station near Innsbruck – left around 4,000 households without energy between 9.47am and 10.20am, electricity provider Tiwag explained.

Customers were locked in shops as automatic doors failed to open, while motorists were trapped inside multi-storey car parks since the power cut affected barriers at the exits. No major accidents were reported although traffic lights stopped working at several intersections in the Innsbruck area.

Dozens of people in shopping centres and office buildings were trapped in elevators. None of them suffered substantial problems to their health despite high temperatures, medics explained.

Local authorities announced it was all business as usual at a clinic situated in the affected area thanks to the faultless operation of an emergency generator.