Third Dutch tourist dies from injuries during Austria avalanche; Fourth hospitalized
One of two Dutch tourists rescued alive after an avalanche in the Austrian Alps died from their injuries, police in Tirol said on Thursday. Two other Dutch people travelling with them were found dead when their bodies were recovered. The four were part of a ski tour group with 17 people from the Netherlands in total.
The victim who died from their injuries was initially being treated at the debris cone, where they were pronounced dead. The other person rescued alive was transported to a hospital in Zams, but their condition was not life-threatening, police said in an update. The mountain guides were able to bring the other 13 people to safety.
The slab avalanche happened just before 11 a.m., threatening the tour group and their four Austrian mountain guides. They were touring the Niedertal area east of the Talleitspitze, a mountain in the Ötztal Alps with an elevation of just over 3,400 meters.
The slab of snow and ice measuring 180 meters by 80 meters came crashing towards them as they were making their way towards the Martin-Busch-Hütte, a local mountain refuge at about 2,500 meters. The avalanche slab had roughly the same area of two football pitches. The incident triggered a massive response from authorities in the region.
Mountain rescue teams from five municipalities joined five helicopter crews, four police patrols, three police alpinists, two rescue dog teams, several fire department crews, a crisis team, a Red Cross coordinator with two ambulances, and a senior emergency physician. The area, close to the Sölden village of Vent, was only accessible by helicopter, according to earlier reports.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs told ANP that representatives of the Netherlands were sent to the region to provide consular assistance. This includes the honorary consul for Tyrol & Vorarlberg, Dr. Harald Gohm, who is based in Innsbruck. At least one staff member from the embassy in Vienna was also dispatched.
