Key Takeaways
• Five skiers die in two Austrian avalanches ||| • Bad weather increases avalanche risks in the Alps ||| • Emergency services caution against off-piste skiing ||| • Multiple deadly avalanches reported in recent months
Two Fatal Avalanches in Austrian Alps
Five off-piste skiers died after two avalanches struck Austria within 24 hours on Saturday amid heavy snowfall, killing instantly four of seven skiers while another sustained severe injuries. One incident took place near Pongau area of Salzburg while in another several people perished instantly when another avalanche descended causing more severe damages than expected resulting in extensive medical needs for them all involved.
Ninety minutes earlier, a second avalanche in the same general region claimed another victim: female skier fatally injured when snow burrowed beneath her.
Hazardous Weather Conditions Await Us Continually
Authorities have issued warnings of increasing risks from bad weather and unstable snow conditions across the Alps, with numerous weather related deaths already having taken place since last Wednesday alone. At least nine fatalities can be linked with weather-related events over this past week alone in this region alone.
Emergency services have repeatedly warned skiers against venturing off-piste routes. Recent snowfall combined with wind and temperature fluctuations has created dangerous mountain slope conditions which necessitate their avoidance.
Dangerous Weather Conditions Persist
Austria has witnessed several deadly avalanches over recent months. Last Wednesday, an 11-year-old Czech skier was killed when an avalanche struck Bad Gastein resort; on Sunday an elderly Tyrol region resident also succumbed to an avalanche.
Elsewhere in the Alps, one German national was killed while cross-country skiing in Switzerland; four others were also injured during this incident. Meanwhile in France there have been six skiers killed due to separate avalanche incidents at various Alpine sites over this past weekend.
Rescue teams and mountain authorities across Europe are reinforcing safety warnings by issuing renewed advice to skiers who venture beyond marked trails to use extreme caution when venturing beyond official trails. With forecasts showing continued snowfall across several Alpine regions, officials warn of increased avalanche risk that may threaten further disasters.
