A devastating Saturday in the Austrian Alps saw five skiers lose their lives in two separate avalanches, as mountain rescue chiefs reiterated "clear and repeated warnings" about the severe danger.
Twin Tragedies Strike Salzburg Region
The first and most deadly incident occurred off-piste in the Pongau area near Salzburg. An avalanche engulfed a group of seven skiers, killing four of them. Two others were injured, one seriously, while a third member of the party managed to escape unharmed. The scale of the response was immediate and significant.
Four rescue helicopters, mountain rescue teams, Red Cross dog units, and a crisis intervention team were all deployed to the scene.
Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service, stated: "This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is."
Second Fatal Slide Near Bad Hofgastein
Approximately 90 minutes before the Pongau disaster, a female skier died in an avalanche at the nearby Bad Hofgastein ski resort. Reports indicate her husband raised the alarm after she was buried by the snow slide. Despite the efforts of rescuers, attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful.
This weekend's fatalities add to a grim pattern in the Alps. Just five days earlier, a 13-year-old Czech teenager was killed by an avalanche while skiing off-piste in the alpine resort of Bad Gastein. Rescuers were unable to revive the boy, who was swept away around midday last Tuesday.
A Deadly Month Across the Alps
The recent incidents are part of a wider, dangerous trend following heavy snowfall across the Alpine region. The past month has been marked by several fatal avalanches.
In Austria's Tyrol region, a 58-year-old ski tourer died last Sunday in an avalanche at the Weerberg resort.
The situation has been equally tragic in France. Last week, six skiers died after being caught in several avalanches at various French alpine resorts. Among those killed was a British man in his 50s skiing off-piste at the La Plagne resort.
According to the resort's statement, the man was located after a 50-minute search, buried under eight feet of snow, but could not be saved. He was not equipped with an avalanche transceiver and was not with a professional instructor.
Separately in France, a 32-year-old skier died in Vallorcine, Haute-Savoie, after being swept away by an avalanche over the weekend. French forecasters had warned of a high avalanche risk, with officials in Savoie recording at least six avalanches in the department's ski areas on Sunday morning alone.
With the snowpack remaining unstable, authorities are urging extreme caution. Gerhard Kremser's warning to all winter sports enthusiasts is unequivocal: they must exercise the utmost care, particularly above the tree line where the risk is most acute.
