Tragic Austrian Avalanches Claim the Lives of Eight Skiers

Eight people have been killed in a series of avalanches in Austria, authorities say. Three Czech skiers were killed in the Pusterwald area of ​​the Murtal district in Styria shortly before 4.30pm (3.30pm UK time) on Saturday, according to police. It was reported a total of seven skiers were caught up in that avalanche in central Austria, including the three who were completely buried. The remaining four were evacuated to safety. In the Salzburg Pongau region of western Austria, an avalanche killed four skiers. They died in the Gastein Valley, south of the city of Salzburg, after a snow slide swept away seven people. Mountain rescue was alerted to the avalanche at around 2pm local time on Saturday (1pm UK time). Two people were seriously injured, and a third escaped unharmed. "This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is," said Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service, noting the "clear and repeated warnings" about the avalanche risk. Four rescue helicopters, mountain rescue and Red Cross dog teams, and a crisis intervention team were deployed to the scene. About 90 minutes earlier, a female skier died after being buried under an avalanche in the nearby Bad Hofgastein area of Salzburg Pongau, at an altitude of about 2,200m (7,200ft), according to the Pongau mountain rescue service. Be the first to get Breaking News Install the Sky News app for free Parts of Europe have been hit by heavy snowfall over the last week. The Salzburg avalanche warning service, which provides daily bulletins on snow conditions and avalanche danger in the region, raised the danger level for Saturday to "level 3" out of five, signalling considerable danger. Winter sports enthusiasts have been warned that cracks and settling noises when walking on snow indicate danger, with wind-drifted snow proving particularly dangerous.