A dangerous natural gas leak at OMV in the Weinviertel caused a large-scale operation that lasted for hours on Wednesday evening. The dimensions only became clear later.
During maintenance work on the “Sonde Matzen 156” there was a large leak of gas and water at the system between Auersthal and Schönkirchen-Reyersdorf around 8 p.m. Upon request, the company confirmed the incident in the Gänserndorf district. The operation lasted until the next day. According to ORF NÖ, a total of 70 firefighters and helpers were on duty for more than 20 hours to secure and repair the defective line. The operation was extremely difficult because the escaping gas had to be diluted with water to prevent spontaneous combustion. Amount of gas leaked not known. At the same time, OMV employees tried to close the borehole. In the end, the hole was filled with cement to stop the gas from escaping. It is still unclear how the dangerous incident could have occurred. The company also left the question of the exact amount unanswered.
source site-12