Avalanches kill 10 in Austria and Switzerland
VIENNA (Agencies): Ten people have been killed in several avalanches across the Austrian and Swiss Alps over the weekend.
Tourists from New Zealand, China and Germany were among the dead at a number of different ski resorts.
Austrian authorities put in place a level four avalanche alert – the second highest – following intense snowfall and wind in the area.
In Switzerland, a 56-year-old woman and 52-year-old man were also killed by unstable snow in the south-east canton of Graubuenden on Saturday morning. Swiss police said a third member of their group managed to escape unharmed.
Avalanches are common in both countries. According to Austria’s APA news agency, 30 avalanches were reported in the Tyrol region on Saturday alone – 11 of these involving people.
Austrian authorities put in place a level four avalanche alert – the second highest – following intense snowfall and wind in the area. Despite the warnings, ski resorts in western Austria have been filling up due to school holidays in Vienna. Austrian police announced five deaths on Sunday, including that of a 59-year-old man who was using a snow plough in the western region of Tyrol. They also recovered the bodies of a ski guide in Sankt Anton am Arlberg and a 62-year-old man who was cross-country skiing around the summit of Hohe Aifner. On Saturday, a 17-year-old New Zealander, a 32-year-old Chinese national and a German man in his 50s – who were all said to be skiing off designated ski trails when avalanches hit – were also found dead.
In Switzerland, a 56-year-old woman and 52-year-old man were also killed by unstable snow in the south-east canton of Graubuenden on Saturday morning. Swiss police said a third member of their group managed to escape unharmed.
Avalanches are common in both countries. According to Austria’s APA news agency, 30 avalanches were reported in the Tyrol region on Saturday alone – 11 of these involving people.
Austria’s level four alert level means “very large avalanches are likely” – it advises inexperienced skiers to remain on open ski runs and trails and for experienced skiers to stay away from very steep terrain.
Austrian police announced five deaths on Sunday, including that of a 59-year-old man who was using a snow plough in the western region of Tyrol.
• Austrian authorities put in place a level four avalanche alert – the second highest – following intense snowfall and wind in the area.
Avalanches in Austria, Switzerland kill five
Avalanches in Austria and Switzerland have left five people dead, leading officials to warn on Saturday of the risks posed by particularly unstable snow cover.
Three of those killed were visiting Austria´s Alpine regions.
“One winter sports enthusiast was killed in an avalanche in Kaltenbach on Saturday,” a police spokesman told AFP, without giving further details of the accident in the small Alpine village.
Austrian news agency APA reported that the victim was a 17-year-old New Zealander who was skiing off-piste.
On Friday, a 32-year-old Chinese man, who was also said to be skiing away from the designated routes, died in an avalanche in the resort of Sheldon.
In Switzerland, two off-piste skiers were killed by an avalanche Saturday morning in the southeastern canton of Graubuenden, the cantonal police said.
A third member of the group was caught up in the flow of snow but managed to escape unharmed, local police said in a statement.
The two skiers who died were a 56-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man, said police. The rescue operation there was hampered by poor visibility and bad weather conditions, police said.
A third victim was found dead on Saturday after being reported missing the previous day. APA reported that the man, in his 50s, had died in the Kleinwalsertal valley on Austria’s border with Germany.
In Switzerland, two off-piste skiers were killed by an avalanche on Saturday morning in the southeastern region of Graubuenden, police said.
A third member of the group was caught up in the flow of snow but managed to escape unharmed, local police said in a statement.