In brief
Five off-piste skiers tragically died in two separate avalanches in Austria's Salzburg region amid recent heavy snowfall. The incidents raise concerns about avalanche dangers, as local rescue services express their condolences and warn about the severity of current snow conditions. This week's accidents add to a troubling trend of avalanche-related fatalities in the Alps.
Five off-piste skiers have died in two avalanches in Austria's Alps following heavy snowfall in the region.
An avalanche struck a group of seven skiers in the Pongau area, near Salzburg, resulting in four fatalities and one serious injury on Saturday, according to local mountain rescue officials.
A separate avalanche earlier in the day swept away another skier in the same vicinity.
The recent poor weather conditions have led to multiple deaths in the Alps over the past week.
In the latest incidents, the mountain rescue service was alerted around 14:00 local time (13:00 GMT). Four individuals were retrieved deceased, while one sustained serious injuries.
About an hour and a half prior, a female skier was reported buried by an avalanche while skiing in open alpine terrain nearby.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is, said Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service.
Several other avalanches occurred in the Pongau region around midday, though no injuries were reported in those instances.
This week has seen additional avalanche fatalities, including a 13-year-old Czech boy who died while skiing in Bad Gastein and a 58-year-old skier in the Tyrolean region of Weerberg.
In nearby Switzerland, a German man was killed and four others injured in an avalanche while cross-country skiing.
Last weekend in France, six skiers also lost their lives in similar avalanche incidents across various Alpine resorts.
