The nearby Radstädter Tauern Pass, about 8 km (5.0 mi) to the east, has historically been a possible crossing point of the Alpine crest.

A nearby historic adit in the Schladming Tauern at a height of 2,300 m (7,500 ft), connecting the present-day states of Salzburg and Styria, originates from medieval times when zinc, silver, cobalt and lead were mined here.

[1][2] Today the Austrian Tauern Autobahn is an important north-south transport route through the Eastern Alps connecting Germany with Italy and Slovenia.

As far as investigators could determine, eight people were killed by the force of the collision of the truck while four further victims died from the fire which followed, exacerbated by escaping fuel and hazardous materials on one of the vehicles involved.

A memorial service for the victims of the fire was held in the municipality of Flachau before the tunnel was officially reopened on 28 August 1999.