Rescue helicopters in Tyrol, Austria
(Picture: APA/AFP via Getty Images)Austrian officials have warned of “considerable” risk of avalanches in the west of the country after nine people were killed within 24 hours.
Police said eight people died in three separate incidents in the states of Vorarlberg and Tyrol on Friday.
In one avalanche near the Austrian-Swiss border, four Swedish citizens, all men in their 40s, and their 42-year-old Austrian mountain guide were killed.
They all died when an avalanche near the town of Spiss buried them completely.
Another member of the group, a 43-year-old Swedish skiier, was able to phone for help and was rescued.
Hours later, two skiers were killed by an avalanche in western Austria, police said on Saturday.
Emergency services found the bodies of two Austrian skiers, a woman aged 61 and a man, 60, after worried family members raised the alarm when they could no longer be contacted.
Their last known location was Breitegg peak, which stands at 1,868 metres, at 3.30pm on Friday.
“After they could no longer be reached, relatives made an emergency call at around 9.40 p.m.,” police said in a statement.
Officials have warned skiers drawn to the Alps amid good weather that even slight tremors could trigger a snow slide.
In recent years, about 20 people have been killed each season by avalanches in the Austrian Alps.
However, the pandemic has meant the last two seasons have been less deadly due to a reduced number of skiiers.
