Avalanche in Austrian Alps

by Jordan Yerman | April 19, 2009 at 10:35 am

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An avalanche in Kirchdorf, Upper Austria, nearly buried 15 backcountry skiers earlier today.

So far, all who were known to be using the backcountry have been accounted for, though earlier reports suggested that up to 15 people had been buried.

As spring blooms, warmer temperatures are destabilizing snowpacks, thus radically increasing the risk of something cutting loose. If you're doing any ski/snowboard touring, don't go alone; also, make sure your whole group has avalanche gear (probes, shovels, beacons) and knows how to use them blindfolded.

"We found 14 people and interviewed them," regional police commander Peter Vertacnik told German Press Agency dpa. The 15th skier was the injured woman.

Earlier:

After backcountry skiers saw the incident and alerted police at around 10:30 local time, rescue teams and several helicopters were dispatched to the avalanche site in the Upper Austria province.