Arabic version: انهيارات ثلجية مأساوية تودي بحياة خمسة أشخاص في جبال الألب النمساوية
According to BBC News,
Five people were killed in a series of avalanches in the Austrian Alps as heavy snowfall hit the region on Friday. A major rescue operation was launched at St Anton after the incidents, which involved an avalanche approximately 450 meters wide. Among the victims was a 42-year-old German man, caught in an avalanche with his 16-year-old son. Fortunately, the teenager was airlifted to a hospital from the slope in Nauders, near the Swiss-Italian border.
The fatalities included three skiers who lost their lives in an avalanche near the popular St Anton resort, while a snowboarder died after being buried in the neighbouring Vorarlberg region. Austria has now seen at least 21 avalanche-related deaths this winter, while dozens of fatalities have been recorded across the Alps. The avalanche risk remains high in parts of Tyrol, where two fatal avalanches occurred on Friday in off-piste areas.
Police told Austrian media that the avalanche near St Anton am Arlberg, which killed three men, appeared to have been triggered by the skiers themselves. The victims included two American and Polish nationals, while the third was a 21-year-old Austrian who died in hospital. Two other men were recovered from the scene with injuries after a major operation involving four mountain rescue teams and three helicopters.
In a separate incident, a 53-year-old man died after being crushed by a snow plough in the northern city of Linz. The vehicle slid down a set of stairs where the man had been clearing snow, resulting in his death at the scene. The significant snowfall in the region also caused power outages and transport chaos, particularly in the southeast. The Red Cross was deployed to help those stuck in traffic jams in Styria, where roads were described as “virtually inaccessible to private vehicles.” Vienna International Airport temporarily closed in the morning, leading to afternoon service disruptions.
This season has seen a higher-than-usual avalanche death toll in the Alps, which includes three Britons killed in France’s La Grave earlier this month.
