Eight skiers lost their lives in three separate avalanches across Austria over the weekend, authorities reported.
A woman was fatally buried by an avalanche around 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the Bad Hofgastein area of western Austria, at an altitude of about 2,200 meters (7,200 feet), according to the Pongau mountain rescue service.
About 90 minutes later, another avalanche struck the nearby Gastein Valley, south of Salzburg, sweeping away seven people. Four died, two were seriously injured, and one escaped unharmed.
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In central Austria’s Pusterwald, three Czech skiers were killed in an avalanche shortly before 4:30 p.m., police said. Four of their companions were rescued and brought to safety.
Gerhard Kremser, head of the Pongau mountain rescue service, said the incidents highlight “how serious the current avalanche situation is,” stressing that “clear and repeated warnings” had been issued about avalanche risks.