British girl aged 10 dies in Austria ski crash

Cable cars make their way up to the Hintertux Glacier near Mayrhofen (Getty Images)

A 10-year-old British girl died after ploughing into a tree on a family skiing holiday in Austria, local police said.

The child is understood to have been out with her father and brother when she hurtled off the piste into some woods.

She was apparently unable to stop and crashed into a tree in the Mayrhofen resort, in the Tirol region.

She was flown by helicopter to hospital in Innsbruck where she died yesterday.

A spokesman for Tirol police said: “The girl left the piste after she lost control of her skis and went into some woods.

“She then crashed against a tree. She died in hospital in Innsbruck.”

Police said the girl was wearing a helmet.

Police in Mayrhofen said the family was on the last run of the day, on Sunday afternoon, when the girl careered off piste and was knocked unconscious.

Her mother had returned to the bottom of the mountain by cable car so was not there to witness the accident.

A spokesman said: "After the girl lost control, she began to gain speed. She went faster and faster and sped over the edge of the piste and into the woods.

"She then hit the tree and was very badly hurt.

"Her father and brother were behind and they went after her immediately and saw the accident."

"The family gave her first aid and called the emergency services."

But their attempts to save her failed.

The slopes around Mayrhofen have been popular with British skiers since the 1970s.

The resort boasts almost 100 miles of pistes, and latest snow reports suggest conditions are excellent.

PA