Status: 05.02.2023 03:27
At least five people died in avalanches in Austria and Switzerland. Despite warning level four in western Austria, many winter sports enthusiasts were out and about. Poor weather conditions made the search more difficult.
At least five people have died in avalanches in Austria and Switzerland since Friday. The winter sports enthusiasts died in the Austrian states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. In Switzerland, two skiers had a fatal accident in the canton of Graubünden.
A winter athlete died near Kaltenbach in the Zillertal in Tyrol – it is said to be a 17-year-old New Zealander who is said to have been off the slopes.
Previously, a skier in Kleinwalsertal had only been found dead under an avalanche after a search operation. His family informed the emergency services on Friday because he did not come home. The mountain rescue had to stop the search because of strong gusts of wind and poor visibility. According to an ORF report, the man had an avalanche beeper with him. The mountain rescue was able to locate the signal and finally found the man on Saturday. He was buried about a meter and a half deep.
Bad weather conditions make rescue difficult
A 32-year-old Chinese skier died in an avalanche in Sölden in the Ötztal (Tyrol) on Friday. He, too, is said to have skied outside the marked slopes. Despite the warning level four on the five-digit scale in western Austria, according to the APA news agency, numerous winter sports enthusiasts were outdoors. Several people were therefore buried and injured when leaving.
As the police in the Swiss canton of Graubünden announced, two skiers were off the slopes on Saturday morning and were caught there by an avalanche. A third member of the group was unharmed. The two dead are a 56-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man. The rescue operation had to be temporarily interrupted due to poor visibility and bad weather conditions.
Storm and avalanches in Austria: two dead, three buried
Oliver Soos, ARD Vienna, February 4, 2023 10:59 p.m