In Austria, the death toll from avalanches has risen to eight. Two people aged 60 and 61 were found dead shortly after midnight in the Tyrolean Wildschönau. Four Swedish tourers between the ages of 43 and 47 and a local mountain guide died on Friday in the Spiss area on the Swiss border in Tyrol. On Friday, a man was buried on the Knödelkopf mountain in Vorarlberg who was traveling with a group outside of the prepared slopes. He too could not be saved. The authorities have been drawing attention to the critical danger situation for days and called for increased caution.
The 43-year-old, who died in the Vorarlberg ski resort of Albona, was completely buried despite the airbag. According to the police, he was in a group with a state-certified snowboard guide. Although the others were able to dig him out immediately and resuscitation measures were started 20 minutes after the avalanche, the man died. The police initially did not say where he came from.
The Swedes were off-piste in the Ischgl/Samnaun ski area with a local mountain guide (42) when a 400-meter-wide avalanche released above them.
A Swede was only partially buried and was able to call a friend in his home country on his cell phone.
The man in Sweden informed a friend who was with the group but did not go on the tour that day, who ended up calling the police.
The 42-year-old survived.
German winter sports enthusiasts were also caught in an avalanche in Austria on Friday.
They were in a group of seven with Danes and Swedes between the ages of 23 and 33 in the Tyrolean Ötztal, the police reported.
A huge slab of snow swept away the people.
Some of them triggered their avalanche airbags and were quickly located, freed and given medical treatment.
One of them was transported to the clinic in Murnau in Bavaria, it said.
The slab of snow also buried a lower-lying ski slope over a width of 100 meters.
The avalanche cone had been searched several times, but no one was found.