Third Austrian crash injures 24

The bus smashed into the tunnel at full speed

At least 24 people have been injured in the third serious road tunnel accident to take place in Austria within a week.

A bus carrying Polish pilgrims from Warsaw to Rome smashed into the wall of the Reigersdorf tunnel between Klagenfurt and Grafenstein in the south of the country.

The bus was reported to be going at full speed when the crash occurred. The driver was thrown 30 metres from the bus by the force of the crash, Austrian public radio reported.

Last week, five Dutch holidaymakers were killed in a head-on collision which sparked a fire in a tunnel near Graz and three people died when a coach hit another vehicle in the west of the country on Wednesday.

Rescue operation

Most of those injured on the Rome-registered bus suffered head injuries from falling luggage.

Apart from one young girl, all are reported to be out of danger.

Two helicopters, 20 ambulances and several fire engines were rushed to the scene.

People were flung from their seats by the force of the crash

One rescue worker told Austrian radio the interior of the bus looked as though a bomb had exploded. Seats were ripped loose by the force of the impact.

Other drivers reported that the bus had been speeding and overtaking other vehicles recklessly.

There has been speculation that the driver may have been drunk or fallen asleep. Police have been unable to question him due to his serious injuries.

Safety fears

This latest series of accidents has raised renewed concerns about the safety of Austria's tunnels - many of which have traffic flowing through them in both directions on single carriageways.

Last year, 155 people died when a funicular train caught fire in a tunnel in the Alpine resort of Kaprun.

And in 1999, 12 people lost their lives in the Tauern road tunnel fire.