One dead and 18 injured after blaze tears through Baumgarten gas hub, plunging Europe into energy crisis.
Southern Europe faced energy shortages after Austrian pipelines were likely to be out of action for days following an explosion and fire that ripped through a main gas hub near Vienna.
Baumgarten, where the explosion occurred, is a key distribution and reception hub for gas exports and imports, including from Russia, Europe’s biggest gas supplier. In Italy, where rain, snow and extreme cold weather have disrupted traffic in the north-east over the last few days, the country’s industry minister declared a state of emergency due to a lack of gas supplies
One person was killed and 18 injured in the blast. One of the casualties was airlifted to Vienna’s general hospital with serious injuries but was later confirmed to be in a non-critical condition.