At least 8 killed in avalanches across Austria

At least eight people have been killed in several avalanches across Austria, according to local media reports.

Mountain rescue teams were first alerted at about 12:30 p.m. on Saturday after an avalanche struck open terrain near Bad Hofgastein, according to the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung. A female ski tourer was buried by the avalanche. Despite resuscitation efforts, she died at the scene.

Around 2 p.m., mountain rescue was called again after an avalanche occurred in open alpine terrain near Finsterkopf mountain in the Großarl Valley.

Seven ski tourers were caught in the slide. Four people were recovered dead, while one person was seriously injured, one sustained minor injuries and one escaped unharmed, authorities said.

Later in the evening, officials announced that a separate avalanche accident with three fatalities had occurred in the Pusterwald area of the Murtal district in the state of Styria.

According to initial findings, seven Czech ski tourers were involved. Three were caught and completely buried by the avalanche. About 150 rescue workers took part in the operation but were forced to suspend recovery efforts due to deteriorating weather conditions.

The deadly avalanches come after several separate incidents reported in recent days across the region, including one that killed a 13-year-old child and others in which hikers and ski tourers were seriously injured.

According to Tagesschau, some parts of the Austrian Alps recently received between 8 and 20 inches (20 to 50 cm) of new snow after several weeks with little or no snowfall, a pattern that authorities warn can increase avalanche danger.