Catastrophe tourists flocking to dungeon dad's 'House of Horrors'

London, May 5 : Austrian authorities have complained that a large number of tourists are arriving to have a glimpse of the home where Joseph Fritzl held his own daughter Elisabeth captive for 24 years in a soundproof cellar, and repeatedly raped her.

"These people are using Amstetten's proximity to Austria's main motorway to make a detour to the house where they indulge in what I call catastrophe tourism," the Independent quoted Ursula Puchebner, the deputy mayor of Amstetten, as saying.

"I find this shocking and I do not understand their motivation. It shows no respect for the victims," she added.

The paper also reports that ever since the story about the horrendous incident came to light a week ago, hundreds of journalists and television crews can be seen around the so-called "House of Horrors".

Besides this, the media is said to have been focussing its attention on the Amstetten clinic, where 42-year-old Elisabeth and three of her children have been receiving psychiatric care.

The hospital authorities have employed a private security company to maintain a round-the-clock armed guard on the premises, after a camera crew broke into the clinic compound, apparently trying to find and film members of the Fritzl family.

Meanwhile, Elisabeth's lawyer Christoph Herbst has revealed that the media is so desperate to interview his client that some people have offered to pay more than 780,000 pounds for an exclusive.

ANI