There have been numerous avalanche accidents in the Alps.
Emergency services could only save some skiers dead.
The bodies of other winter sports enthusiasts were discovered on Sunday.
Update from February 5, 1:55 p.m
.: In Tyrol (Austria), the mountain rescuers are still required because of avalanches.
A deadly avalanche drama broke out in Ötztal on Sunday morning.
In Längenfeld, an avalanche was reported in the Geigenkamm area around 10:25 am.
Three winter sports enthusiasts were involved – one of them was buried.
According to the control center, it was initially rescued from the masses of snow, reports the ORF.
According to police, the person has now died.
Avalanche dead in Austria: bodies of two winter sports enthusiasts recovered in St. Anton am Arlberg
Update from February 5, 12:58 p.m
.: The bodies of two buried winter sports enthusiasts were discovered in St. Anton am Arlberg on Sunday morning, reports the ORF.
The two were buried by a slab avalanche on Saturday at around 10.30 a.m. in open terrain on the "Törli" variant descent.
The search operation had to be interrupted on Saturday due to the high risk of avalanches.
Even after an avalanche blast, the search was too dangerous for the mountain rescuers.
On Sunday, in another attempt, the bodies of the two missing persons - a ski guide (29) and an Austrian guest (33) - were recovered from the snow masses.
Ski tourer (31) from Bavaria died in an avalanche in South Tyrol
Update from February 5, 11:58 a.m
.: The fresh snow in the Alps has claimed another fatality.
A German ski tourer died in an avalanche in South Tyrol, according to the South Tyrolean mountain rescue service.
The 31-year-old from Bavaria was traveling with another woman on the Limojoch on Saturday morning when an avalanche went off.
The 31-year-old ski tourer was found under the snow masses at a depth of about 2.5 meters.
According to the mountain rescuers, resuscitation measures were unsuccessful.
The second woman was unharmed and was being cared for by emergency chaplains.
"The avalanche itself wasn't particularly big, about 50 by 70 meters and the terrain wasn't particularly steep either," writes the mountain rescue service on Facebook.
Another group of German tourers immediately rushed to help the two women.
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South Tyrol: ski tourer (31) from Bavaria died in an avalanche.
© Facebook Screenshot/ Soccorso Alpino Alto Adige
40 mountain rescue teams went to the scene of the accident with snowmobiles, caterpillar vehicles and a rescue helicopter.
This was around 80 kilometers east of Bozen, near the border with the Veneto region.
According to the mountain rescue service, the helicopter had to fly back due to gusts of wind up to 120 kilometers per hour.
Austria: Two more avalanche deaths in Tyrol
Update from February 5, 10:53 a.m .:
His dog came home alone on Saturday.
Now there is sad certainty about another avalanche victim.
During a search operation in Kaunerberg (Landeck district), according to the ORF, a body was recovered under snow masses.
It is said to be the 62-year-old missing ski tourer.
In St. Anton am Arlberg (Austria) the search for two buried people continues.
Also particularly tragic: A snowplough driver in East Tyrol was hit by an avalanche.
The man could only be recovered dead after a search operation in the night, the Tyrol police announced on Sunday.
During snow clearing work in Debanttal (Lienz district), the man was buried by an avalanche with his tractor on Saturday.
The emergency doctor could only determine the death of the missing person.
Further details about the accident are not yet known.
Avalanche deaths in Austria: rescuers rescue young skiers – dramatic search for three buried people is underway
Update from February 5, 8:47 a.m.:
The avalanche situation in Austria is delicate.
There are already several fatalities.
The search for three buried people had to be interrupted on Saturday on the Arlberg in St. Anton and in Kaunerberg (Landeck district) - too dangerous.
The search will continue on Sunday.
Avalanche accidents in Austria: Search for buried people too dangerous
A slab avalanche broke loose in St. Anton am Arlberg on Saturday at around 10:30 a.m.
A ski guide (29) and a 33-year-old Austrian were carried away by the avalanche in open terrain on the "Törli" variant descent, the police reports.
Both were completely buried.
According to ORF, the avalanche beepers of the two were located by a helicopter overflight.
Due to the high risk of avalanches, an immediate search operation on Saturday was impossible.
Even after an avalanche blast, the situation in this area was too dangerous.
In Tyrol, 30 avalanches were reported in the control center on Saturday by 5:30 p.m., presumably in nine cases people were partially or completely buried.
Ski tourers suspected of being under an avalanche: the dog came home alone
In the Kaunertal, a ski tourer is suspected to be under an avalanche.
After the 62-year-old's dog came home alone around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, the family alerted the emergency services.
The missing person is suspected under an avalanche on the southeast side of the Hohe Aifnerspitze.
According to the police, a search operation using an avalanche transceiver, involving the police helicopter, the alpine police and an avalanche dog handler with a search dog, was unsuccessful.
But here, too, a ground search by the Alpine Police and the Kaunertal Mountain Rescue Service was initially too dangerous because of the acute danger of avalanches in the steep and extensive terrain.
On Saturday evening, the rescue workers stopped the search around 5.30 p.m.
It is scheduled to continue on Sunday.
An avalanche death in Kaltenbach in the Hochzillertal ski area is a 17-year-old vacationer from New Zealand (see first report).
The teenager had apparently skied off the closed runway number 3.
He was found dead by the piste rescue and relatives on Saturday afternoon.
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Avalanche accidents in Austria: In St. Anton am Arlberg, the search for buried people continues on Sunday.
© Austria OUT/afp
Avalanche deaths in Austria: emergency services rescue young skiers – the second in a short time
First report from February 4, 2023:
Zillertal - In large parts of Austria there is the second highest avalanche warning level.
Some skiers have deviated from the slopes in the last few days - and could only be recovered dead.
Even the searches are sometimes not possible for hours due to the avalanche danger.
Austria: Emergency services rescue young skiers dead – already the second
Despite all the warnings of great avalanche danger, skiers in Austria have left the secured slopes, sometimes with fatal consequences.
According to the police, in the Zillertal in Tyrol on Saturday (February 4th) a young skier could only be found dead under the snow masses.
A winter sportsman who had been missing since Friday evening had previously been found lifeless under an avalanche in Kleinwalsertal.
"People are very irresponsible on the go and always in the free ski area - they just don't believe it," said a spokesman for the authorities in Vorarlberg.
Further searches and rescued skiers: search temporarily interrupted
On the Arlberg, a search for two possibly buried skiers was interrupted for several hours on Saturday because the danger of further avalanches had become too great for the rescue workers.
Also on the Arlberg, a 15-year-old winter athlete was rescued alive after an avalanche in the open ski area after fifteen minutes under the snow and flown to the hospital.
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Due to the threat of avalanches, roads in Austria were closed at the weekend (here: Styria).
Skiers were also buried under the masses of snow.
© Energienetze Steiermark/APA/dpa
In Tyrol, a 32-year-old Chinese skier died in an avalanche in Ötztal on Friday, and a 15-year-old was swept away by an avalanche in the Kitzbühel district and was seriously injured.
Road traffic was also severely hampered.
The traffic club ÖAMTC counted 17 roadblocks due to avalanche danger in the morning.
Fresh snow and danger of avalanches: In Germany, too, there are warnings about falling snow masses
In the past few days, more than one meter of fresh snow had fallen regionally in Austria.
Travelers and winter sports enthusiasts were often called upon to exercise caution.
But prudence is not only required in the Austrian ski areas.
Clear snowfall is also expected in Germany over the weekend (February 4th and 5th).
There is also a risk of avalanches here.
However, this should only be a short winter pleasure.
Then a sunny weather change is announced.
(chd/dpa)
List of rubrics: © Facebook Screenshot/ Soccorso Alpino Alto Adige
