Four people were buried in an avalanche in Austria. Hikers were not expected in this area, and a German woman died in the snow.
Hüttschlag – The heavy snowfall of the past few days has created a significant risk of avalanches in the Alps. Even lower elevations, where outsiders would not expect it, can be hit by falling masses of snow. They are pushing from higher elevations into the countryside. After numerous incidents in recent days, hikers in the Alps should be warned.
Six hikers from Germany are surprised by an avalanche in Austria
On Tuesday afternoon (September 17th), four hikers were buried by such a slab avalanche not far from the Hohe Tauern in Pongau (Salzburger Land, Austria). According to the Hüttschlag mountain rescue service, two groups of three were walking along a hiking trail at an altitude of around 1250 metres below the Seekarspitz (2053 metres) at around 2:30 p.m. They were walking towards Schödersee, out of the valley. The slope was still a little powdered from the snowfall, and the green meadows were visible through the patches of snow.
Suddenly an avalanche thundered down on the hikers from far above. The two groups – all from Germany – were caught in the masses of snow. “The wet snow avalanche broke loose near the mountain ridge in the area of the Grauwand in the direction of Schödertal and buried a hiking trail over a width of around 60 to 80 meters,” the police report later said.
During the rescue, an avalanche threatened to thunder down on rescuers and rescued people at any time
Four people were then caught in the avalanche, of which three, according to the police, were able to free themselves from the snow masses and escape from the danger zone. There was a risk of further avalanches. At first the exact situation was unclear. The mountain rescue teams from Hüttschlag, Großarl and mountain rescue dog handlers were alerted, and two rescue helicopter teams (Martin 1 and Martin 6) and a police helicopter (Libelle) were also deployed.
Finally, it was discovered that two hikers had been partially buried by the snow masses, and one hiker had been completely buried, according to the Hüttschlag mountain rescue service. “The injured people were quickly dug out and flown out by rescue helicopters,” reported Hüttschlag local branch manager and operations manager Markus Rettenwender in a press release. The completely buried woman had “very serious injuries,” it was said. The 56-year-old from Lichtenau (district Paderborn, NRW) was seriously injured, a 21-year-old from Geldern near Düsseldorf (NRW) was taken to hospital with injuries of an unspecified degree. In total, the avalanche hit six women and men, three of whom remained uninjured.
All hikers and emergency services were flown into the valley by helicopter due to the continued acute danger of avalanches. A total of 75 emergency services from mountain rescue, alpine police, Red Cross, volunteer fire service and helicopter teams were deployed. The 56-year-old succumbed to her injuries in hospital on Wednesday night.
Austrian mountain rescuers warn of avalanches rolling into the valley
According to the mountain rescue service, the hiking trail towards Schödersee is in an avalanche catchment area. “Such paths should be avoided at all costs at the moment due to the risk of avalanches,” warns Pongau district manager Gerhard Kremser, “the gliding snow avalanches can reach the valley.” Due to the heavy snowfall of the past few days, there is “an increased risk of avalanches in the high Alps.” According to Kremser, by Saturday afternoon over 150 centimeters had already fallen in the high altitudes of the Northern Alps and in some areas of the Hohe Tauern, and above 1500 meters it was 50 to 100 centimeters. Kremser: “However, due to the recent heat wave of the summer, the snow is very poorly bonded to the ground. The rising temperatures can trigger gliding snow avalanches.”
On Saturday, a 71-year-old hiker from the district of Coburg (Upper Franconia) was buried by an avalanche in the Tilroler Eng valley in the Karwendel. Mountain rescuers have not yet been able to dig out the missing man because there is still an acute risk of avalanches in the area. A new rescue attempt is to be made at Donnersteg. A group of ten hikers from Germany and the Netherlands, who were staying in a mountain hut nearby, were evacuated by police helicopter because they wanted to descend through the avalanche area.
Ten other guests from another mountain hut nearby were brought down to the valley by freight elevator after the previous helicopter evacuation had caused uproar across Austria. A similar operation in Austria recently caused a rescue operation because the rope came off the reel. In Bavaria, a mountain guide warned Facebook with the joking threat of slaps in the face before tours at the foot of the Zugspitze with the words: “Anyone who goes into the Höllental now will get a slap in the face.”
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