There have been numerous avalanche accidents in Austria. Emergency services could only save some skiers dead. The search for multiple victims continues.
Update from February 5, 8:47 a.m.: The avalanche situation in Austria is delicate. There are already several fatalities. The search for three buried people had to be interrupted on Saturday on the Arlberg in St. Anton and in Kaunerberg (Landeck district) – too dangerous. The search will continue on Sunday.
Avalanche accidents in Austria: Search for buried people too dangerous
A slab avalanche broke loose in St. Anton am Arlberg on Saturday at around 10:30 a.m. A ski guide (29) and a 33-year-old Austrian were carried away by the avalanche in open terrain on the “Törli” variant descent, the police reports. Both were completely buried. According to ORF, the avalanche beepers of the two were located by a helicopter overflight. Due to the high risk of avalanches, an immediate search operation on Saturday was impossible. Even after an avalanche blast, the situation in this area was too dangerous.
In Tyrol, 30 avalanches were reported in the control center on Saturday by 5:30 p.m., presumably in nine cases people were partially or completely buried.
Ski tourers suspected of being under an avalanche: the dog came home alone
In the Kaunertal, a ski tourer is suspected to be under an avalanche. After the 62-year-old’s dog came home alone around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, the family alerted the emergency services. The missing person is suspected under an avalanche on the southeast side of the Hohe Aifnerspitze. According to the police, a search operation using an avalanche transceiver, involving the police helicopter, the alpine police and an avalanche dog handler with a search dog, was unsuccessful. But here, too, a ground search by the Alpine Police and the Kaunertal Mountain Rescue Service was initially too dangerous because of the acute danger of avalanches in the steep and extensive terrain. On Saturday evening, the rescue workers stopped the search around 5.30 p.m. It is scheduled to continue on Sunday.
An avalanche death in Kaltenbach in the Hochzillertal ski area is a 17-year-old holidaymaker from New Zealand (see first report). The teenager had apparently skied off the closed runway number 3. He was found dead by the piste rescue and relatives on Saturday afternoon.
Avalanche deaths in Austria: emergency services rescue young skiers – the second in a short time
First report from February 4, 2023: Zillertal – Large parts of Austria have the second highest avalanche warning level. Some skiers have deviated from the slopes in the last few days – and could only be recovered dead. Even the searches are sometimes not possible for hours due to the avalanche danger.
Austria: Emergency services rescue young skiers dead – already the second
Despite all the warnings of great avalanche danger, skiers in Austria have left the secured slopes, sometimes with fatal consequences. According to the police, in the Zillertal in Tyrol on Saturday (February 4th) a young skier could only be found dead under the snow masses.
A winter sportsman who had been missing since Friday evening had previously been found lifeless under an avalanche in Kleinwalsertal. “People are very irresponsible on the go and always in the free ski area – they just don’t believe it,” said a spokesman for the authorities in Vorarlberg.
Further searches and rescued skiers: search temporarily interrupted
On the Arlberg, a search for two possibly buried skiers was interrupted for several hours on Saturday because the danger of further avalanches had become too great for the rescue workers. Also on the Arlberg, a 15-year-old winter athlete was rescued alive after an avalanche in the open ski area after fifteen minutes under the snow and flown to the hospital.
In Tyrol, a 32-year-old Chinese skier died in an avalanche in Ötztal on Friday, and a 15-year-old was swept away by an avalanche in the Kitzbühel district and was seriously injured. Road traffic was also severely hampered. The traffic club ÖAMTC counted 17 roadblocks due to avalanche danger in the morning.
Fresh snow and danger of avalanches: In Germany, too, there are warnings about falling snow masses
In the past few days, more than one meter of fresh snow had fallen regionally in Austria. Travelers and winter sports enthusiasts were often called upon to exercise caution. But prudence is not only required in the Austrian ski areas. Clear snowfall is also expected in Germany over the weekend (February 4th and 5th). There is also a risk of avalanches here. However, this should only be a short winter pleasure. Then a sunny weather change is announced. (chd/dpa)
#Rescuers #rescue #young #skiers #dramatic #search #buried #people