Status: 05.02.2023 11:44 a.m
At least seven people have died in avalanches in Austria and Switzerland since Friday. In East Tyrol, a snow plow was torn from the road by the snow masses, the driver could only be recovered dead.
In Austria and Switzerland, the number of deaths from avalanches has now risen to seven. In East Tyrol in Austria, the driver of a snow plow was found dead under snow masses in the morning, the police confirmed. The vehicle was caught in an avalanche and carried away. According to the police, a lifeless person was also discovered in an avalanche in the Kaunertal in Tyrol. The victim is probably a missing 62-year-old tourer.
Three winter sports enthusiasts had died in Austria since Friday. A 32-year-old Chinese skier died in an avalanche in the Ötztal. A 17-year-old New Zealander was buried by masses of snow near Kaltenbach in the Zillertal in Tyrol. A 55-year-old German who had been missing since Friday evening was found dead in Kleinwalsertal on Saturday. Despite the increased avalanche warnings, all three had left the secured ski area on the slopes.
More dead in Switzerland
There were also fatalities from avalanches in Switzerland. As the police in the canton of Graubünden announced, two skiers were off the slopes near the town of Disentis on Saturday morning and were hit 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.
Search continued in St. Anton
Meanwhile, according to the authorities, the search for a 29-year-old ski guide and his 33-year-old Austrian guest in St. Anton am Arlberg continued. Both were out skiing and were hit by an avalanche. According to a report by the ORF, their avalanche peepers could be located. Because of the high risk of avalanches, the search had to be interrupted on Saturday.
In the past few days, significantly more than one meter of fresh snow had fallen regionally in the Alps. Dozens of avalanches were counted in Tyrol alone.