Avalanches kill 8 people in Austria

At least eight people died in three avalanches in Austria on Saturday, mountain rescue services and police said.

A spokeswoman for the Salzburg Mountain Rescue Service said that seven people were buried by an avalanche yesterday afternoon on the 2,150-meter-high Fensterkopf peak in the Grossarl Valley in the state of Salzburg.

The mountain rescue service said that four members of the ski group were found dead, while the others were seriously injured.

Earlier on Saturday, a woman died as a result of another avalanche in the Bad Hofgastein area.

Police said that a third avalanche accident occurred later on Saturday afternoon in the municipality of Posterwald in the state of Styria.

The Austrian Alpine Club announced on Sunday that the victims were part of a group in an Alpine skiing course offered by the club.

“Efficiency in risk management and safety awareness are top priorities at our course,” said Jörg Randl, head of the club’s mountain sports department. “This accident is very painful.”

Wolfgang Schnabel, president of the Austrian Alpine Club, said: “The Alpine community expresses its grief with relatives.”