Five dead in 'massive' mile-wide Alpine avalanche close to popular ski resort
FIVE skiers have died after getting caught in a "massive" avalanche in the Austrian alps, police have confirmed.
Five skiers from the Czech Republic were killed
More than a dozen people were affected by the avalanche, which struck the Wattener Lizum region, 20 miles southeast of Innsbruck.
The dead are reportedly from the Czech Republic.
Tirol police spokesman Helmut Schuetz said Saturday that two people were also injured in the snow slip that hit shortly before midday in a valley south of Innsbruck, in western Austria.
Rescue teams aided by dogs and a helicopter have been searching the area for survivors.
Police and health officials have so far released no details about the conditions of those injured, or their nationalities.
Innsbruck is a popular ski resort with British holidaymakers and caters for a range of winter sports, including snowboarding and moutaineering.
Police gave no immediate details on the condition of the other casualties
Helicopters were involved in the search and rescue effot
The avalanche was 2 km (1.25 miles) wide and 5 m (16 feet) high, local media reported.
The entire skiing region had been on a level three avalanche alert, out of a maximum five, and several avalanches were also reported elsewhere.
Today’s tragedy in the Alps comes less than a months since five soldiers have died after an avalanche hit their training exercise in France.
The French servicemen perished after the snowslide struck on January 18.
They were training on the slopes of Valfréjus, a ski resort not far from the Italian border.
Rescue teams search for the group of people buried by an avalanche
A week earlier, three people were killed and three others seriously injured when an avalanche hit a group of children on a school ski trip in the French Alps.
Two children - a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old - died in the avalanche that engulfed a group of 10 experienced young skiers from Lyon.
A skier from Ukraine was also found dead.