A brisk north-west current caused stormy weather on the north side of the Alps, with heavy snowfall in some areas Photo: picture alliance / Martin Huber / picturedesk.com | Martin Huber
From BZ/dpa
Despite all the warnings of great avalanche danger, skiers in Austria have left the secured slopes, sometimes with fatal consequences.
In the Zillertal in Tyrol, according to the police, a young skier could only be found dead under the snow masses on Saturday. A winter sportsman who had been missing since Friday evening had previously been found lifeless under an avalanche in Kleinwalsertal
Second highest avalanche warning level in large parts of the Austrian Alps
“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. 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.
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. More than a meter of fresh snow had fallen regionally in the past few days. This also significantly hampered road traffic.
The ÖAMTC traffic club counted 17 roadblocks in the morning due to avalanche danger. Snow chains were compulsory on 46 road sections.