Four dead, one missing in Austria avalanche

VIENNA: Four people died and one was missing Friday after several avalanches struck Austria’s Tyrol province, the rescue services said.

“It was one of 13 avalanches today in Tyrol... It happened off-piste” near the border with Switzerland, Patrick Ortler from the province’s rescue services told AFP.

“Four lost their lives unfortunately,” he said, adding one injured person had been taken to a hospital, while rescue workers were looking for the one missing.

Another avalanche hit a slope in the famous ski resort of Soelden, burying five people who were all rescued alive, he said.

In recent years, an average of around 20 people have been killed annually by avalanches in Austria.

The last two seasons were less deadly as the coronavirus pandemic reduced the number of skiers overall.