More than 100 avalanches hit Austria, claiming the lives of at least 9 people
Featured image: Innsbruck on February 5, 2022. Credit: Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2, TW
At least 9 people have died in Austria after more than 100 avalanches struck the country in just three days. Authorities described the situation as unprecedented and warned more avalanches can be expected in the days ahead.
Most of the avalanches hit the country's western region of Tyrol where 5 people died on Friday, February 5, 2022.
According to police reports, one incident claimed the lives of 4 Swedish skiers going off-piste with their mountain guide in the zone around Ischgl. 1 Only one member of the group of 6 survived.1
A 60-year-old man and his 61-year-old wife were engulfed while cross-country skiing near the village of Auffach on Friday, while on Saturday, an Austrian man, aged 58, died at Schirmn after an avalanche hit a group of people. Further west, an experienced skier of 43 was killed in the popular Vorarlberg region as Austria saw exceptional quantities of snowfall going into and across the weekend.
"The past three days have seen some 100 avalanche-type incidents requiring 70 interventions," Tyrol regional authorities said Sunday, dubbing the situation "unprecedented" and warning of more to come.
References:
1 Nine killed in three days as a hundred avalanches hit Austria – AFP
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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