Avalanche accident in Austria: three tourers die – "It leaves you speechless"
Created: 03/12/2022, 07:29
By: Patrick Huljina
There was an avalanche accident on the Ötscher in Lower Austria on Friday.
(Archive image) © Volker Preusser / IMAGO
The avalanche danger was actually low, the weather was brilliant.
Nevertheless, there was a deadly avalanche on Friday on the Ötscher in the Ybbstal Alps.
Gaming – In Austria the weather * on this Friday (March 11) was as nice as in Bavaria.
Bright sunshine - the best conditions for a hike.
On the Ötscher in the Ybbstal Alps, there was also a low avalanche danger (level 1 of 5), as in the entire mountainous region of Lower Austria.
"Slab avalanches can only be triggered occasionally in the shady terrain," said a report by the warning service.
However, an avalanche broke out in the late morning: four ski tourers were buried.
Avalanche accident in Austria: Four tourers buried - three dead, one seriously injured
Police said the call came in around 11:30 a.m.
“Four alpinists were climbing the Ötscher via the Juckfidelplan.
An avalanche has come loose," said Matthias Cernuska, head of the Lower Austria/Vienna mountain rescue service, to the
ORF
.
Three men were completely buried in the avalanche accident - another, according to the information, partially.
As the organization "144 Notruf Niederösterreich" announced via Facebook, the partially buried person was an employee.
He was flown to the University Hospital in St. Pölten with serious injuries.
"Three other mountain comrades lost their lives," it said.
The three dead are said to be local mountain rescuers.
The group was on the almost 1900 meter high mountain in bright weather and low risk of avalanches in open, unsecured terrain.
Avalanche accident in Austria: "It makes you speechless"
Some of the buried tourers in Austria ultimately had to be rescued by colleagues – the helpers were in shock.
"This mission hits us all in the heart," the
Kronen Zeitung
quoted one of the rescuers as saying.
"It leaves you speechless," said mountain rescue director Cernuska to
ORF
.
"Avalanche warning level one means low avalanche danger.
But even with such a warning level, it cannot be ruled out that avalanches can go off,” he continued.
There is a residual risk in mountaineering, which unfortunately has apparently occurred here.
Unfortunately, there have already been a number of avalanche accidents this winter.
In December 2021, three young athletes died in Austria*.
In February there were several avalanches – also in Switzerland*.
(ph with dpa) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
