A building crane is seen is seen crashed after a storm nicknamed "Emma" at Suedbahnhof (Southern Railway Station) in Vienna March 1, 2008. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    VIENNA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The storm "Emma" attacked Austria on Saturday, causing the deaths of at least three people and vast estate damages and traffic chaos.

    According to local media report, three people were killed by the fallen trees, although they hid themselves in the cars promptly in the storm.

    The Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics of Austria forecasted this storm two days ahead, warning that the speed of storm could respectively reach a maxim of 120 km to 170 km per hour in plain and mountain areas.

    Although the Austrian government mobilized nearly 330,000 firemen and prepared a lot to fight the storm, the "Emma" still caused such vast loss as car and house damages, as well as electronic power cut and traffic chaos.

    Over 10,000 families had to face power cut in Upper Austria and some parts of the high way A1 between capital Vienna and Salzburg had to be blocked out in the storm. The railway transport between Linz and Salzburg also broke off.

    In Vienna, the wind speed surpassed 110 km per hour and a spokesman of the city bus company said the storm had caused "complete and serious traffic chaos'.

    Austria suffered storms almost every year. On Jan. 19 2007, a storm with a maxim speed of 207 km per hour hit the northern part of the country. On Jan. 27 this year, another strong storm named "Paula" with a maxim speed of 145 km per hour attacked eight out of nine provinces in Austria.