5 skiers killed in a pair of avalanches in Austria

Authorities in Austria say five skiers have been killed in a pair of avalanches in the western Salzburg Pongau region

Austria-Avalanche-Deaths (Bergrettung Pongau)

Five skiers have been killed in a pair of avalanches in the Salzburg Pongau region of western Austria on Saturday, authorities said.

Four skiers were killed by a snow slide in the Gastein Valley, south of of the city of Salzburg, that swept away seven people. Two were injured — one seriously — and a third escaped unharmed, the APA news agency reported.

“This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is,” said Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service, noting the “clear and repeated warnings" about the avalanche risk.

Four rescue helicopters, mountain rescue and Red Cross dog teams, and a crisis intervention team were rushed to the scene.

About 90 minutes earlier, a female skier died after being buried under an avalanche in the nearby Bad Hofgastein area, at an altitude of about 2,200 meters (7,200 feet), APA said.