Avalanche buried ten people in Austria – helicopters in action

Created: 12/25/2022, 6:45 p.m

By: Mark Stoffers

In Austria there is a risk of avalanches in some places.

Especially above 2200 meters snow slabs could easily come off.

© Barbara Gindl/APA/dpa/symbol picture

In Austria, an avalanche occurred in Vorarlberg on Sunday.

According to initial information, ten winter sports enthusiasts have been buried.

Bregenz – In an avalanche in Austria, several people were probably buried by snow masses.

The avalanche occurred on Sunday afternoon (December 25) in the open ski area of ​​Lech and Zürs.

According to initial findings, around ten winter sports enthusiasts have been buried.

The rescue operation is in full swing after the avalanche in Austria, as the police also announced on Sunday.

Helicopters, search parties and avalanche search dogs were deployed.

One person had already been rescued with injuries, the police said.

Avalanche in Austria: Ten people buried in the Lech/Zürs ski area in Vorarlberg

The avalanche came off around 3:00 p.m. in the area of ​​the Trittkopf.

Shortly thereafter, several helicopters, including three from Tyrol, and several search parties were on their way to the avalanche cone on the 2,720-meter-high mountain.

Avalanche in Austria: Another avalanche in Tyrol

Away from the accident in Vorarlberg, another avalanche occurred in Austria early on Sunday morning.

Unlike in Lech/Zürs, however, the free ski area of ​​Sölden (District Imst) in Tyrol did not end well.

Although a search operation of around two and a half hours with 40 helpers and several dogs was triggered, the all-clear could be given, as the police informed the Austrian news agency APA.

Originally, the emergency services had feared that the avalanche in Sölden could have buried a person under snow masses.

However, this concern turned out to be unfounded.

Avalanche in Austria: avalanche in Sölden without buried people

According to the mountain rescue service, the avalanche in the Tyrolean Alps was released shortly after 12.30 p.m. on the Tiefenbachferner near the mountain station.

In the Tyrolean mountains, as was the case throughout Austria at the beginning of December, the avalanche danger for winter sports enthusiasts on Sunday was tricky.

The avalanche warning service pointed to a high susceptibility to disruption of the snow cover, the probability of avalanches was classified as high.