Avalanche kills Dutch hiker in Germany

A 24-year-old Dutch man was killed in an avalanche in the German state of Bavaria on Thursday afternoon. He was on a hiking holiday with three family members, the German police announced, according to ANP.

The Dutch family were hiking with a group when the avalanche happened at the German Schönau am Königssee in the de Berchtesgadener Alps. The Dutch man was knocked down and fell 60 to 80 meters. He died immediately, according to the emergency services. The other members of the group suffered some mild hypothermia complaints, but were otherwise unharmed.

It took two hours for the rescue mission to get started, because the hikers had no cellphone reception where they were.

According to the news wire, the Dutch family informed themselves well about the conditions in the area, near the Austrian border, and followed a trail that other hikers already used that day. There was about half a meter of snow in the area of the avalanche.

Nothing more is known about the identity of the victim or where he came from.