Dutch skiers severely injured in separate Austrian accidents amid avalanche danger
A 52-year-old Dutch man was seriously injured Saturday while skiing off-piste in Zell am Ziller, Austria. The skier went upside down in the snow and had to be excavated by rescuers before being resuscitated and transported to a hospital in Innsbruck.
The man had been skiing with his wife and daughter but separated from them to continue off the marked slopes, NU.nl reported. When he failed to appear at the agreed meeting point and did not answer his phone, his wife raised the alarm. Ski lift operators later found him upside down in the snow. A trauma helicopter assisted in the rescue.
The incident follows a similar accident Friday in St. Anton am Arlberg, where a 23-year-old Dutch skier was caught in an avalanche along with four others. Three people were killed. Earlier this week, a 71-year-old Dutch man died in a separate avalanche near Fiss; his son and another man escaped. His body was later recovered by a search dog.
Authorities in Tyrol warned residents and tourists to exercise extreme caution and avoid leaving ski slopes. Avalanche danger levels are at 4 and 5, the highest risk. Experts have urged skiers not to venture off-piste.
This winter, Austria has reported at least 24 avalanche deaths. Other Alpine countries, including France, Switzerland, and Italy, have also seen numerous fatalities. In the French Alps alone, nearly 30 people have died in avalanches this season.
