Fresh Avalanches Kill Four Skiers In Austria

VIENNA, Feb 21 (Bernama-dpa) -- Four more skiers were killed by avalanches in Austria on Friday, authorities said, adding to a string of fatal incidents this winter, the German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

Two people were found dead following a slide in the western ski resort of St Anton am Arlberg.

The victims were recovered from the snow but could not be saved, a police spokesman said.

Of the three others initially rescued with injuries, one later died in hospital in the evening. Authorities were not immediately able to provide details on the victims’ ages or nationalities.

Earlier, a 42-year-old German skier was killed by an avalanche in the Tyrolean ski area of Nauders. The man had been skiing off-piste with his 16-year-old son, who survived with serious injuries, police said.

The pair were attempting to cross a north-facing slope when a slab of snow about 400 metres wide broke loose, sweeping them some 200 to 300 metres downhill.

Up to 40 centimetres of fresh snow had fallen in parts of Tyrol in recent days. Authorities warned that avalanche conditions remain dangerous.

More than 30 avalanches were recorded in Tyrol on Wednesday alone. Three people were killed in Tyrol and in the neighbouring Vorarlberg region.

-- BERNAMA-DPA