A mob of about 300 greedy Austrians forced its way into a hotel in southern Austria for a pillaging spree after a newspaper report on free giveaways, local media reported on Monday.
The Alpenhof hotel in Weissensee had prior to its being closed down asked interested parties to pre-register and pick up gratis the last remaining pieces of furniture and equipment.
The well-intentioned move went awry when several hundred people forcibly entered the hotel at about 4am on Friday and started clearing out the rooms. Some even went to the basement to get the electricity back online, the shocked night watchman said.
Unable to deal with the impromptu pillaging, the night watchman was forced to call the police to clear the hotel. Police later counted more than 100 cars at the hotel car park.
On Saturday, the remaining items from the Alpenhof found new owners in a more orderly manner. — Sapa-dpa