Nine dead in three days after more than 100 avalanches hit Austria

Nine people have died in three days during which more than 100 avalanches hit Austria, authorities said on Sunday, as heavy snow followed by warmer weather created unusually dangerous conditions.

Most of the avalanches hit the western Tyrol region and there were five deaths on Friday alone, rescue services said.

Police said an incident claimed the lives of a group of Swedish skiers going off-piste with a mountain guide in the area around Ischgl, near the Swiss border.

The guide and four members of the group were washed away and only one member survived. He managed to call for help and was airlifted out.

Also on Friday, a 60-year-old man and his 61-year-old wife were trapped while cross-country skiing near the town of Auffach, Tyrolean police said.

On Saturday, a 58-year-old Austrian man was killed in Schmirn, near Innsbruck, in an avalanche that injured four others.

Further west, a 43-year-old experienced skier was killed in the popular Vorarlberg region as Austria saw exceptional snowfall over the weekend.

Five winter sports enthusiasts were buried in snow in the main tourist resort of Soelden, but all were rescued.

In recent years, avalanches have claimed about 20 lives a year in Austria, fewer in the last two years after the pandemic greatly reduced the number of skiers.

killed a 68-year-old man on Saturday, while a second person was injured, police.

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