Status: 05.02.2022 11:27 a.m
A total of eight people died in avalanches yesterday in Austria. Dozens of avalanches were reported in Tyrol. Because of the heavy snowfall in recent days, the risk is high.
In Austria, several people died in avalanches. According to the ORF Eight people were killed across the country on Friday.
During a search operation in the Wildschönau in the Kitzbühel Alps, a couple was found dead late in the evening. The 61-year-old woman and the 60-year-old man left for the summit of the Breiteggspitze in the afternoon, but did not return from the trip, as the ORF reported. As a result, the alpine police, mountain rescue and fire brigade started a large search, search dogs, helicopters and a drone were also used. The rescue workers discovered a slab avalanche south of the summit. The couple had been buried under the snow masses.
Group of tourists from Sweden buried
In the area of the Ischgl-Samnaun ski area on the border between Tyrol and Switzerland, a group of Swedish tourists and their mountain guide were buried by an avalanche. They were off-piste on a ski tour to the lower Malfragkopf. One of the five Swedes was only partially buried in the snow masses and was able to call a friend on his cell phone, who in turn informed the rescue services.
Thanks to an avalanche airbag protruding from the snow, the scene of the accident could be located quickly. Helicopters brought the search team to the high alpine area. The man who made the call survived. The other members of the group and the mountain guide died in the avalanche.
Skiers release off-piste avalanche
Also on Friday, a man was surprised by a slab of snow in the Arlberg ski area in the state of Vorarlberg. He wanted to ski with three other skiers from the summit of the Knödelkopf over open terrain into the valley. The buried person was quickly located by the other winter sports enthusiasts and dug up with the help of the rescue workers who arrived. But attempts to resuscitate the 43-year-old man were unsuccessful.
“All warnings are useless”
After heavy snowfall in the past few days, Tyrol was level 3 on the five-part avalanche danger scale. According to experts, most avalanche accidents happen at this level. In Tyrol alone, around 50 avalanches were reported to the control center on Friday. It was the most serious avalanche day of the winter season up to that point.
The head of the Tyrolean avalanche warning service, Rudi Mair, said in view of the numerous incidents: “It makes me sad, but I’m also shocked and angry that all the warnings are useless.” The critical conditions have been pointed out for days. Ski touring and variant descents away from secured pistes currently require a lot of experience in assessing the danger of avalanches.