© EPA-EFE
Two Dutch people were killed by an avalanche in Austria on Thursday, the police in the state of Tyrol confirmed. The Austrian public broadcaster ORF and the newspaper Kronen Zeitung report that a third Dutch person has now also died, but this report has not yet been confirmed by the police. A fourth Dutchman was taken to hospital with injuries.
A group of seventeen Dutch skiers and four Austrian guides were on a tour in the Vent ski area in southwestern Austria. According to the police, they were surprised by an avalanche 180 meters long and 80 meters wide.
According to Austrian media, the rest of the group was not injured and has now returned to the valley.
According to the rescue services, the avalanche started on its own around 11 a.m. The emergency services responded with helicopters and sniffer dogs, but the operation was difficult because a lot of snow had fallen in recent days. The mission had to be halted for a short time because the risk of another avalanche would have been too great.
The Dutch embassy in Vienna is ready to provide consular assistance if there is a need, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports to ANP.
Just on Tuesday, a group of six hikers were caught in an avalanche on the Bärenkopf mountain on Lake Achen. A 19-year-old German was dragged almost 300 meters through the snow. He died.