Three skiers killed in Austrian avalanche, fourth missing

The bodies of the men, aged 57, 36 and 32, were recovered later Saturday evening near the ski resort of Lech.</s>Image copyright Reuters Image caption Austria has seen record snowfall this week, raising avalanche warnings (file picture)

Three men have been killed in an avalanche near the Austrian ski resort of Lech am Arlberg, local police say.

The search for a fourth person, declared as missing, had to be halted due to the ongoing avalanche risk.

The group came from southern Germany and were reported missing by one of their wives on Saturday night.

In France, two employees at the Morillon ski resort died when the avalanche-control charges they were trying to set accidentally went off.

The accident took place at an altitude of 1,800m (6,000ft) as the two men were preparing the pistes ahead of their opening with an avalanche prevention programme, mountain rescuers said.

Weather forecasters had warned of a high risk of avalanches in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions following fresh overnight snowfall.

The three dead German men, aged 32, 36 and 57, were found at about 23:00 (22:00 GMT) on Saturday.

Police in the western province of Vorarlberg said they were located through mobile phone tracking, near the Langer Zug slope - one of the steepest in the world.

It had been closed due to dangerous conditions.

The men were wearing touring skis, which are used to climb uphill slopes and ski off-piste.

The three victims bring the number of weather-related deaths in parts of Europe this month to at least 24, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Snow brings parts of Europe to standstill

Austria has seen record snowfall, with more forecast for the weekend. Soldiers, firefighters, and volunteers have been battling to clear cut-off roads and rooftops during breaks in the weather.

On Friday, troops airlifted 66 German students and teachers to safety, after they became stranded at the Kasberg ski station in Grünau.

The same day, the Red Cross helped drivers stuck on a motorway in the south German state of Bavaria, and a nine-year-old boy was killed near Munich when a tree collapsed under the weight of snow.

In Switzerland, an avalanche hit the restaurant of the Hotel Säntis in Schwägalp, injuring three people.

Local reports said the avalanche had been 300m (984ft) wide when it came down the nearby mountain pass.

A Nasa graphic tweeted by BBC Weather showed how the geography of Europe has shaped the snow's progress.

"Little to no snow has fallen on the Italian side of the Alps," meteorologist Matt Taylor noted. "The sheer scale of the Alps has blocked the snow-bearing clouds making it over."</s>VIENNA - Three German skiers were found dead overnight and a fourth is missing after they were swept away in an avalanche near the Austrian ski resort of Lech am Arlberg, police said on Sunday.

The group of four had been using touring skis, which enable skiers to climb as well as ski down slopes and explore off-piste, police in the western province of Vorarlberg said.

The three dead men, from the Upper Swabia area of southwestern Germany, were found around 11 pm after one of their wives declared them missing. They were aged 57, 36 and 32. The fourth person, who is 28 and also from southern Germany, was still missing, a police statement said.

Heavy snow has hit the Austrian Alps in the past week, raising avalanche warning levels and cutting off local roads. The warning level in the area above 2,000 meters on Saturday was 3 on a scale that goes up to 5.</s>BERLIN — Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in Austria and a fourth is still missing, police said Sunday as snowfall set in again in the northern Alps. In France, two ski patrollers were killed when the devices they use to trigger avalanches exploded.

The two accidents brought to at least 26 the number of weather-related deaths reported in parts of Europe this month.

In Austria, the wife of one of the German skiers reported them missing on Saturday. The bodies of the men, aged 57, 36 and 32, were recovered later Saturday evening near the ski resort of Lech.

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria's westernmost province, said they had to call off the search for another missing German skier in the group, age 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

Police said the four friends had apparently skied onto a trail that was closed. Although they had avalanche protection equipment and deployed airbags, the victims were buried by the avalanche and suffered multiple injuries. They were located with the help of cellphone tracking.

In France, the Haute-Savoie region's high mountain gendarmerie said the two ski patrollers were killed Sunday morning in Morillon before ski slopes were opened to the public. Officers were investigating the scene to determine the cause of the rare accident.

Ski patrollers are in charge of preventing potential dangers to skiers, notably by triggering controlled avalanches with powerful explosive charges.

Authorities in southern Germany and Austria had used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads, but snow set in again on Saturday night.

In the Bavarian town of Kempten, local authorities closed 11 sports halls as a precaution through Tuesday fearing that the weight of snow on their roofs was posing increasing dangers, the German news agency dpa reported.

Trains between the German cities of Munich and Lindau were traveling more slowly than usual because of a risk of snow-laden trees falling onto the tracks.

The small Alpine resort of Balderschwang on Germany's border with Austria was cut off Sunday after the pass leading to it was closed for fear of avalanches.

In central Switzerland, trains carrying cars through the Furka tunnel were suspended because of an avalanche on a nearby road.</s>Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in Austria and a fourth is missing, police said on Sunday as snowfall set in again in the northern Alps.

The bodies of the men – aged 57, 36 and 32 – were recovered on Saturday evening near the ski resort of Lech, a few hours after the wife of one of the skiers reported them missing.

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria’s western-most province, said they had to call off the search for another missing German skier in the group, age 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

The avalanche brings to at least 24 the number of weather-related deaths reported in parts of Europe this month.</s>Three German skiers were found dead overnight and a fourth is missing after they were swept away in an avalanche near the Austrian ski resort of Lech am Arlberg, police said on Sunday.

The group of four had been using touring skis, which enable skiers to climb as well as ski down slopes and explore off-piste, police in the western province of Vorarlberg said.

The three dead men, from the Upper Swabia area of south-western Germany, were found around 11 pm (2200 GMT) after one of their wives declared them missing. They were aged 57, 36 and 32. The fourth person, who is 28 and also from southern Germany, was still missing, a police statement said.

Heavy snow has hit the Austrian Alps in the past week, raising avalanche warning levels and cutting off local roads.

The avalanche brings to at least 24 the number of weather-related deaths reported in parts of Europe this month.

Police said the friends had apparently skied on to a trail that was closed. Although they had avalanche protection equipment and deployed airbags, the victims were buried by the avalanche and suffered multiple injuries. They were located with the help of mobile phone tracking.

On Saturday, authorities in southern Germany and Austria used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads.

But snow set in again on Saturday night. In the Bavarian town of Kempten, local authorities closed 11 sports halls as a precaution through Tuesday because the weight of snow on their roofs was expected to increase, the German news agency dpa reported.

Trains between the German cities of Munich and Lindau, on Lake Constance near the Austrian border, were travelling more slowly than usual because of a risk of that trees weighed down by snow could fall on to the tracks.</s>Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the Austria – and a fourth is missing, police said on Sunday as snowfall set in again in the northern Alps.

Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the Austria – and a fourth is missing, police said on Sunday as snowfall set in again in the northern Alps.

The bodies of the men – aged 57, 36 and 32 – were recovered on Saturday evening near the ski resort of Lech, a few hours after the wife of one of the skiers reported them missing.

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria’s western-most province, said they had to call off the search for another missing German skier in the group, age 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

The avalanche brings to at least 24 the number of weather-related deaths reported in parts of Europe this month.

Police said the friends had apparently skied onto a trail that was closed.

Although they had avalanche protection equipment and deployed airbags, the victims were buried by the avalanche and suffered multiple injuries. They were located with the help of phone tracking.

On Saturday, authorities in southern Germany and Austria used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads.

But snow set in again on Saturday night. In the Bavarian town of Kempten, local authorities closed 11 sports halls as a precaution because the weight of snow on their roofs was expected to increase, the German news agency dpa reported.

Trains between the German cities of Munich and Lindau, on Lake Constance near the Austrian border, were travelling more slowly than usual because of a risk of that trees weighed down by snow could fall onto the tracks.</s>One person is dead and another is missing after an avalanche near the resort town of Invermere over the weekend.

Avalanche Canada reports a group of snowmobilers were on the southeast side of Mount Brewer in the Purcell Mountains on Saturday when an avalanche was triggered.

Two of the snowmobilers were “caught in a very large,” 200- to 400-metre-wide slab of snow which moved nearly a kilometre down the mountain before coming to a small lake.

The body of one person was recovered two metres below the snow. Avalanche Canada said the deceased was able to active their emergency avalanche air bag.

A second person is still missing, but a signal from an avalanche beacon has been recorded “on the lake where debris is floating on the water,” Avalanche Canada said, adding “recovery efforts are ongoing.”

As of Monday, the avalanche danger in the Purcell Mountains was rated at high in the upper alpine region and considered considerable at the tree line.

On Wednesday, Parks Canada issued an avalanche bulletin for parts of B.C. near the Alberta border, including Kootenay National Park which is around 17 kilometres north of Invermere.

Anyone heading into the backcountry should carry the proper safety equipment. Avalanche Canada recommends packing avalanche transceivers, an airbag, a shovel and an emergency radio before heading into avalanche territory.

Daily avalanche condition updates are available on the Parks Canada website. For more information on avalanche safety visit http://www.avalanche.ca.

More to come …</s>Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the Austrian Alps – and a fourth is missing, police have said.

The bodies of the men – aged 57, 36 and 32 – were recovered on Saturday evening near Lech, a few hours after the wife of one of the skiers reported them missing.

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria’s western-most province, said on Sunday they had to call off the search for another German, aged 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

The avalanche deaths bring to at least 24 the number of weather-related fatalities reported in parts of Europe this month.

On Saturday, authorities in southern Germany and Austria used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads.</s>Zermatt ski resort in Switzerland was forced to shut down on January 9, leaving 13,000 tourists stranded, due to heavy snowfall and high risk of avalanches in the area. This video, captured by an avalanche monitoring company using high-definition CCTV, shows an avalanche that took place in the same area five days previously, on January 4. As powdered snow begins to fall towards the camera, it is followed by a torrent of heavy snow carrying branches and small trees down the side of the mountain. The Swiss Alps, and particularly the Zermatt area, were placed on the maximum alert level for avalanche risk on January 8. Credit: Twitter/GEOPRAEVENT via Storyful

Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in Austria and a fourth is still missing, police said on Sunday as snowfall set in again in the northern Alps.

Meanwhile in France, two ski patrollers were killed when the devices they use to trigger avalanches exploded.

In Austria, the wife of one of the German skiers reported them missing on Saturday (local time). The bodies of the men, aged 57, 36 and 32, were recovered later Saturday evening near the ski resort of Lech, 20 kilometres from where Australian student Max Meyer died in an avalanche in the ski village of St. Anton am Arlberg on Wednesday.

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria’s westernmost province, said they had to call off the search for another missing German skier in the group, age 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

Police said the four friends had apparently skied onto a trail that was closed. Although they had avalanche protection equipment and deployed airbags, the victims were buried by the avalanche and suffered multiple injuries. They were located with the help of cellphone tracking.

The two accidents brought to at least 26 the number of weather-related deaths reported in parts of Europe this month.

In France, the Haute-Savoie region’s high mountain gendarmerie said the two ski patrollers were killed on Sunday morning in Morillon before ski slopes were opened to the public. Officers were investigating the scene to determine the cause of the rare accident.

Ski patrollers are in charge of preventing potential dangers to skiers, notably by triggering controlled avalanches with powerful explosive charges. Authorities in southern Germany and Austria had used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads, but snow set in again on Saturday night.

In the Bavarian town of Kempten, local authorities closed 11 sports halls as a precaution through Tuesday fearing that the weight of snow on their roofs was posing increasing dangers, the German news agency dpa reported. Trains between the German cities of Munich and Lindau were travelling more slowly than usual because of a risk of snow-laden trees falling onto the tracks.

The small Alpine resort of Balderschwang on Germany’s border with Austria was cut off Sunday after the pass leading to it was closed for fear of avalanches.

In central Switzerland, trains carrying cars through the Furka tunnel were suspended because of an avalanche on a nearby road.
An avalanche near the Austrian Lech am Arlberg ski resort kills three skiers and leaves a fourth missing.