Three Czech skiers were killed in an avalanche in central Austria on Saturday, bringing the total number of avalanche deaths in the country that day to eight, police have confirmed. The incident occurred in the Murtal district of Styria province, where a group of seven Czech ski tourers were caught in a slide.
Police said the three victims were completely buried by the avalanche. Emergency responders located and partially dug them out, but they were found dead despite immediate rescue efforts. Earlier on Saturday, in the Pongau area near Salzburg, another avalanche struck a group of seven off-piste skiers, killing four and seriously injuring one.
Another off-piste skier was swept away and killed in the same area earlier that day. Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service, said: 'Despite clear and repeated warnings, numerous avalanches occurred again today – unfortunately with fatal consequences. This tragedy painfully demonstrates the seriousness of the current avalanche situation.'
The recent spate of avalanche deaths follows heavy snowfall across the Alps. On Tuesday, a 13-year-old Czech skier was killed off-piste in Bad Gastein, Austria. Last Sunday, a 58-year-old ski tourer died in an avalanche in Weerberg, Tyrol. In neighbouring Switzerland, a German man was killed and four others injured in an avalanche while cross-country skiing on Friday. Last weekend, six skiers died in avalanches in various French Alpine resorts.
