As of: March 13, 2024, 12:14 p.m
By: Johannes Welte
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An avalanche that buried a gallery in South Tyrol's Martell Valley on Sunday almost hit 200 young athletes from Germany.
Hintermartell – The fear is still in the bones of many mothers and fathers and the young biathletes of the German Ski Association DSV.
At the weekend, the German Cup for DSV biathlon young talent took place at the Martell Biathlon Center in South Tyrol.
Firefighters use avalanche poles to search for buried victims in the gallery.
© South Tyrol State Fire Brigade Association/Facebook
Biathlon German Cup was moved to South Tyrol due to lack of snow
It was moved from Oberhof (Thuringian Forest) to the valley in northern Italy due to lack of snow.
Around 200 biathletes between the ages of 15 and 20 took part, and relatives, friends and trainers and staff from the arena were also on site.
“The competitions ended in the early afternoon,” reports a father at
IPPEN.MEDIA.
The access to the biathlon center, which is located at the end of the Martell Valley, is through a gallery.
“All participants were accommodated in hotels below this gallery,” reports the father, including his daughter.
This meant that all participants and guests had to arrive and depart through this gallery.
A large avalanche fell there at around 3:59 p.m. and entered through the gallery that was open on the side.
The road was buried to a depth of three to three meters.
Rescue workers searched for those buried.
After a thorough check, the all-clear was given – no one was injured.
“There wasn’t much time between the journey from the stadium back to the hotels in town or further down in the valley,” the father points out.
All of Germany's young biathlon talent passed through the gallery shortly before the accident
“I think that’s also why there was a lot of concern about buried vehicles,” he continues.
His daughter contacted him via WhatsApp in the afternoon: “I'm fine.” Only then did the man from Upper Bavaria realize that his daughter had narrowly escaped a catastrophe.
“Numerous participants from the Oberland were there at the start,” said the father.
But also from Chiemgau, Allgäu, Thuringia, Saxony or the Harz.
Five members apparently died in an avalanche in Switzerland on Saturday.
On Monday, four mountain rescuers were hit by an avalanche in South Tyrol's Senales Valley while they were looking for victims of a previous avalanche.
A 16-year-old died in an avalanche in Platt in South Tyrol on Sunday.