A car fire in the Katschberg Tunnel on the Tauern Autobahn (A10) between Salzburg and Carinthia led to the evacuation of 51 people on Sunday evening.

The incident occurred when the 39-year-old driver noticed smoke coming from the engine and promptly stopped the vehicle. The driver, a Serbian national, and his two passengers safely exited the car.

Following vehicles were evacuated through rescue tunnels and the second tunnel tube as a precaution. The volunteer fire brigade from St. Michael im Lungau quickly extinguished the blaze.

To facilitate the emergency response and subsequent cleanup, traffic was halted in both directions. The closure towards Villach was lifted at 8:30 p.m., while the closure towards Salzburg, where the fire took place, was lifted at around 10:00 p.m.

No injuries were reported.