Five people died in avalanches in western Austria on Friday. Four victims were reported from the federal state of Tyrol, one from Vorarlberg. TASR informs about it with reference to the ORF radio station.
In the Tyrolean ski resort of St. Anton am Arlberg, a huge avalanche approximately 450 meters wide and almost a kilometer long fell, which was apparently triggered by a group of five skiers. They were found during an extensive search operation in steep terrain three dead. One person suffered minor and one serious injuries. Information on their nationalities was not immediately available.
In the cadastre of the Tyrolean village of Nauders, a 400-meter-wide avalanche swept off the slopes on Friday morning 42-year-old German skier and partially buried him. His 16-year-old son was injured, but managed to stay afloat and call for help. However, the rescuers were unable to revive the man and he died on the spot. In Vorarlberg, two snowboarders were swept away by an avalanche on the Sonnenkopf mountain, one of whom lost his life, the other escaped without injury.
He was very lucky 12 passengers of a company buswhich on Friday around 05:00 h near the Tyrolean village of Bach was caught by an avalanche and pushed off the road. No one was injured in this incident. In some parts of Tyrol in recent days it has fallen around 40 centimeters of fresh snow. On Wednesday alone, more than 30 avalanches were recorded there, claiming two lives. Austrian rescuers have intervened in about 200 avalanches since last Friday.
