In a tragic turn of events, five off-piste skiers have lost their lives in two separate avalanche incidents in the Austrian Alps. The region has been grappling with heavy snowfall, leading to a heightened risk of such natural disasters.
The first incident occurred on Saturday in the Pongau area near Salzburg, where an avalanche hit a group of seven skiers, killing four and seriously injuring one. Earlier that day, a similar avalanche swept away a skier in the same region.
The mountain rescue service was alerted around 2 pm local time (1 pm GMT) and found four people dead, while another suffered severe injuries. About an hour and a half before, a female skier was buried by an avalanche in open alpine terrain near the same area.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is,” said Gerhard Kremser, the district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service.
Further avalanches were recorded in the Pongau region around midday, but fortunately, no one was injured.
This incident comes just a week after a series of deadly avalanches in the Austrian Alps. On Tuesday, an avalanche killed a 13-year-old Czech boy skiing in the resort of Bad Gastein. Last Sunday, a 58-year-old skier died in an avalanche in the Tyrolean resort of Weerberg in western Austria.
The tragedy extends beyond the Austrian borders, as in neighbouring Switzerland, a German man was killed in an avalanche, and four other people were injured while cross-country skiing on Friday. Last weekend in France, six skiers died after being caught in avalanches in various Alpine resorts.
The recent spate of avalanche-related incidents serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that winter sports enthusiasts face in the mountainous regions of Europe. Authorities urge skiers and snowboarders to exercise caution, heed weather warnings, and stay within designated and safe areas to avoid such catastrophic events.