Ten killed as spate of avalanches sweep Alps
Thirty snow slides strike the Tyrol of Austria alone, claiming eight lives as half-term rush approaches
TWO skiers were swept off-piste and killed as a string of deadly avalanches struck the Alps ahead of the half-term winter break.
Ten people died in total during avalanches, 30 of which hit the Tyrol region of Austria alone on Saturday, claiming the lives of eight.
Among the dead are two skiers aged 29 and 33, one of whom was a guide. They were caught in the snowslide and carried off the slopes. Their bodies were found in St Anton am Arlberg.
Other victims include a 17-year-old New Zealander and a Chinese man, 32, who were both skiing off-piste, a German man in his 50s, and a man of 62 who was reported missing when he did not return from cross-country skiing. His body was later found by rescuers.
The avalanches also buried a 59-yearold man who had not been skiing but was swept away while clearing the snow on his snow plough.
Heavy snowfall and high winds are blamed for dozens of avalanches in Austria’s western ski area over the weekend. The alert level was raised to four on the five-point scale, which denotes that very large avalanches are likely.
Yet many holidaymakers continue to flout warnings. All skiers, particularly novices, have been advised to stay on designated ski runs and trails.
In the eastern canton of Grisons, Switzerland, an avalanche also buried a 56-year-old woman and a man of 52 at the weekend, both of whom were skiing off-piste. A third member of the group was also swept away but he survived.
Poor visibility and bad weather conditions hampered rescue efforts.
News of the deaths comes as ski resorts get ready to welcome half-term holidaymakers and winter sports enthusiasts hoping to make up for a poor start to the ski season, due to warm weather and lack of snow.
In Austria, avalanches have claimed an average of 20 lives a year in recent times. It’s a similar statistic in Switzerland,
where an average of 24 people die in avalanches a year. In the past 20 years, the overwhelming majority, 90 per cent, of fatalities in Switzerland occurred off-piste.
Last month, a British woman hiking in the Chamonix valley in the Mont Blanc massif died after being caught in an avalanche. The 45-year-old was with her partner and a guide when the avalanche struck. The others survived.
According to the European Avalanche Warning Services, avalanches across Europe kill an average of 100 people a year.