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02. 03. 12. - 17:00

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02. 03. 12. - 17:00

Austrian passengers arrive on dry land after Allegra ordeal

Some 636 holidaymakers including 97 Austrians were stuck on board the stranded Costa Allegra cruise ship for three days this week. After the hours spent without electricity, water, working toilets or air conditioning, the tourists finally arrived on dry land yesterday (Thurs).

The luxury liner came to a standstill in the middle of the Indian Ocean on Monday after a fire broke out in the ship’s generator room. The boat, which belongs to the capsized Costa Concordia, and its passengers, were left stranded with no electricity and had to have food dropped in by helicopters.

For the last two days the enormous ship had been dragged by two French tugboats, arriving on the island of Mahe in the Seychelles yesterday (Thurs). Passengers have now begun to speak of the ordeal and the fear that they were headed for the same fate as the Concordia cruise ship whose capsizing lead to the deaths of 25 people in January.

"We were terrified that we were going to have to evacuate," explained Sigrid-Maria Größing from Salzburg. Instead the passengers were left on the cruise ship to deal with the difficult conditions. "The showers were turned into urinals because the toilets no longer worked," she said. Temperatures in the cabins rose to 48 degrees Celsius forcing passengers out onto the deck due to the unbearable smell.

Some 37 passengers from Austria arrived in Vienna early today. The rest however have remained in the Seychelles for two weeks' holiday with all costs covered by the cruise ship owners. All passengers will also receive twice the price of their journey in damages.

Austrian Times

Police raid dairy headquarters
A raid in the second largest Austrian dairy NÖM, which started on 15 May, was terminated yesterday (Thur) afternoon. Employees of the Federal Competition Authority (BWB) are still in the headquarters in Baden.

Austrian on trial over Aldi blackmail
The trial of a 61-year-old man from Salzburg, who blackmailed the company Aldi South, started yesterday (Wed) in Duisburg, Germany. The defendant has already admitted that he demanded 15 million Euros from the firm.

State secretary denies interfering over Baumgartner taxes
The extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner stated that the Ministry of Finance spared him additional taxation by political intervention. The former Financial Secretary Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP) denies these claims.

Search for trapped after Felbertauern rockfall
The Felbertauern road in Tyrol, Western Austria, has been closed completely after rock fall last night (Mon). Rock came down on the East Tyrol side just before 2 a.m. It completely destroyed an avalanche gallery.

Delunamagma creditors to lose most of their investment
The creditors of the technology firm Delunamagma Industries GmbH from Bludesch-Gais, Vorarlberg (Western Austria) will lose the majority of their money in the bankruptcy proceedings.

SPÖ Salzburg votes for new party leader
The current health and social state councillor Walter Steidl has been elected the new head of the Social democratic party of Salzburg yesterday (Mon).

SPÖ see devastating loss after weekend election
The SPÖ lost a huge amoung of votes in the Salzburg state election yesterday (Sun). The party of Governor Gabi Burgstaller only achieved 23.81%, which is a loss of 15.58% compared to 2009. Even though the ÖVP lost more than seven percent, they came first. The Green Party is a winner of this election.

VAT fraudster arrested in Germany
The police of Flachgau, state of Salzburg, arrested a presumed fraudster from Germany. The 35-year-old is suspected of having committed tax evasion as the head of a European-wide operating union.

Finance scandal reason for early election
The financial scandal in Salzburg has been hotly debated since last December. Many people lost their trust in the government and this has led to early elections on 5 May.

TV show reveals the dark side to energy drink Red Bull
A documentary of the "Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen" (ARD), which was shown on TV on Monday night, deals with the dark side of the company Red Bull. It is about risky spectacles with a deadly end.