Avalanche in Austria kills four near Swiss border

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Four people have died and one person was missing after several avalanches struck Austria’s Tyrol province.

“It was one of 13 avalanches today in Tyrol … It happened off-piste” near the border with Switzerland, Patrick Ortler, from the province’s rescue services, told AFP.

“Four lost their lives unfortunately,” he said, adding that one injured person had been taken to hospital, while rescue workers were looking for the missing person.

Another avalanche hit a slope in the ski resort of Soelden, burying five people who were all rescued, he said.

In recent years, about 20 people have been killed each year by avalanches in Austria.

The last two seasons have been less deadly as the coronavirus pandemic reduced the number of skiers.

Guardian news