At least ten people have been killed in avalanches in mountainous areas of Austria and Switzerland in the past two days, according to a new assessment by local authorities, which reported dozens of incidents over the weekend.
The previous balance represented eight deaths after avalanches since Saturday.
In the case of Switzerland, on Saturday two bodies of two skiers were found – a 56-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man – who were off-piste in the canton of Graubuenden.
A third skier was uninjured, local public television reported.
The Austrian authorities also notified on Saturday the death of three people of Chinese, German and New Zealand origin, the latter aged 17, all victims of avalanches that occurred on the slopes.
On Sunday authorities found the body of a 62-year-old skier who went missing in Kaunerberg and two other bodies in Saint Anton am Arlberg.
Authorities also confirmed the death of a 59-year-old man who was buried while driving a snowplow in the Tyrol region.
On Saturday alone, authorities learned of more than 30 avalanches in Tyrol, according to ORF.
Authorities put the alert level at four on a scale of five and urged skiers to avoid steep or potentially dangerous terrain.
In Tyrol and the neighboring area of Vorarlberg, the civil protection services issued alerts for the appearance of wind and snowfall.
However, the alert level of four on a scale of five did not stop many tourists from venturing out, authorities said.
The February school holidays have begun in Vienna and the rooms have filled up after a bad start to the season, marked by the absence of snow at the medium and low altitudes.
In recent years, in Austria, one of the main winter sports destinations, snow slides have caused an annual average of 20 deaths.
Source: TSF
