A second person has died in an avalanche in Austria within three days, after a teenage skier was killed while skiing off-piste in the popular resort of Bad Gastein.
Tragedy on the Slopes
The victim, a 13-year-old child from the Czech Republic, was skiing with another minor when they were caught in a sudden snow flurry around midday on Tuesday. Andreas Kandler, the mountain rescue chief for Bad Gastein, confirmed the details, stating that despite the swift response from emergency teams, the young skier could not be revived.
A Dangerous Alpine Weekend
This latest tragedy follows a weekend marked by severe avalanche danger across the Alps, triggered by several days of heavy snowfall. Just two days prior, on Sunday, a 58-year-old ski tourer lost his life in an avalanche in the Tyrolean resort of Weerberg in western Austria.
The perilous conditions have extended beyond Austria's borders. Across the weekend in France, six skiers died after being caught in several separate avalanches at various alpine resorts, underscoring the widespread risk currently present in the mountain range.
Urgent Safety Warnings Issued
In light of the recent fatalities, senior mountain rescue officials have issued stark warnings to winter sports enthusiasts. Gerhard Kremser, the mountain rescue chief for the Pongau region in central Austria, explicitly urged people to exercise the utmost caution, particularly above the tree line where avalanche risk is significantly higher.
The recent heavy snow, while attractive to skiers, has created unstable snowpack conditions, increasing the likelihood of spontaneous avalanches. Authorities are stressing the critical importance of staying on marked, prepared pistes and heeding all local safety advice and avalanche bulletins.
