Recent avalanches in the Austrian Alps have tragically resulted in the deaths of five off-piste skiers, highlighting the dangers of poor weather conditions.
In a series of avalanches in the Pongau area near Salzburg, Austria, five off-piste skiers lost their lives following heavy snowfall. An avalanche hit a group of seven skiers, claiming four lives and seriously injuring one. Earlier in the day, another avalanche in the same area swept away a skier.
The mountain rescue service received alerts around 14:00 local time and found four individuals deceased, with one suffering serious injuries. Just an hour and a half prior, a female skier was buried in a separate avalanche nearby.
Gerhard Kremser, the district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service, expressed condolences to the victims' families, stating, This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is. Although further avalanches were reported in the region, no additional injuries occurred.
Other recent avalanche incidents have also claimed lives; a 13-year-old Czech boy died in Bad Gastein, while a 58-year-old skier was killed in a Tyrolean resort. Moreover, in neighboring Switzerland, a German man lost his life in an avalanche during cross-country skiing, and last weekend, six skiers died across various Alpine resorts in France.
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