Five dead and one injured in Austria avalanche

More than 50 avalanches were recorded in Austria's Tyrol region over 48 hours

Rescue workers stand at the Rettenbach glacier near Soelden after five winter sport enthusiasts were rescued after being hit by an avalanche. AFP

Five people died and another was injured on Friday when an avalanche struck Austria's Tyrol province, local rescue services said.

The victims were buried under snow in an area near the Swiss border, a rescue official said.

“Unfortunately five people lost their lives,” he said, and added that an injured woman was taken to hospital.

No details were given on the identity or nationality of those killed in the avalanche.

The weather services have urged caution after heavy snowfall this week.

More than 50 avalanches were recorded in the Tyrol region over 48 hours.

• 

  People wearing protective masks travel on a ski lift in the ski resort of Zermatt, Switzerland. Reuters

• 

  A cable car is pictured in front of the Matterhorn in the ski resort of Zermatt, Switzerland. Reuters

• 

  Skiers wear protective masks in Zermatt, Switzerland. Reuters

• 

  A maintenance man checks a chairlift at the alpine ski resort of Sestriere in Val Susa, Piedmont, Italy. AFP

• 

  Passengers wearing protective masks wait to board the Jungfraujoch train in the ski resort of Grindelwald, Switzerland. Reuters

• 

  A sign placed on the snow indicating a closed ski slope section in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria. AFP

• 

  A chairlift is pictured after the announcement of an extension of the lockdown to January 20 for French ski resorts in Megeve, France. Reuters

• 

  Giordano Callegari poses at his ski rental shop at a ski resort in the Dolomites which has become a virtual ghost town, in Passo del Tonale, Italy. Reuters

• 

  A closed restaurant is seen at the ski resort of Passo Tonale in the Dolomites. Reuters

• 

  A closed chairlift in Passo Tonale. Reuters

• 

  Deserted chairlifts at the alpine ski resort of Sestriere in Val Susa, Piedmont, Italy. AFP

One of the other avalanches hit a slope in the famous ski resort of Soelden, burying five people who were all rescued alive, rescue workers said.

An average of about 20 people have been killed annually by avalanches in Austria in recent years.

The last two seasons were less deadly as the coronavirus pandemic reduced the number of skiers overall.