Avalanche in Stubai Buries Eight Skiers
The avalanche struck on Thursday morning outside the marked runs in the Daunscharte pass area of the Austrian ski resort.
It is a popular off piste ski route and is easily accessible, just to the side of a T-bar lift.
The avalanche occurred around 9.30 am in the area of the “Rote Piste 9”.
Some snow reached a marked piste that was then closed.
See here for an eyewitness video:
A huge search and rescue operation was launched with 250 people involved.
Mountain rescue crews from nearby Neustift im Stubai and Sölden were deployed using specialist gear and avalanche dogs trained to locate survivors.
German soldiers and Polish mountain rescue teams were also involved.
First reports said nine people caught, but this was then revised down to eight.
The police said all of them were partially buried.
Six managed to free themselves and two were rescued by fellow skiers.
Several are reported to have deployed their air bags and this may have led them to being only partially buried.
According to reports from Austrian media the victims were five Germans, two Bulgarians and one Austrian – five men and three women.
Four people suffered minor injuries, two of whom were flown to a local hospital.
It is believed the skiers triggered the avalanche.
The search operation has now been called off and there are not thought to be any other people caught in the avalanche.
An investigation is underway.
Stubai is near Innsbruck in the Tirol and has been open since October.
It is one of the most popular resorts in Austria for early season skiing.
It follows heavy snow in recent days as a huge storm hit the Alps.
On Thursday the storm had passed and it was a clear day.
See further details with images of the rescue operation at tirol.orf.at
Innsbruck Ski + City, Stubai. Image © PlanetSKI
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