Five off-piste skiers have died in two avalanches in Austria's Alps following heavy snowfall in the region.
An avalanche struck a group of seven skiers in the Pongau area near Salzburg, resulting in four fatalities and one serious injury on Saturday, as reported by local mountain rescue officials.
Earlier, another avalanche took the life of a skier in the same area. Recent challenging conditions have contributed to an alarming number of deaths in the Alps over the preceding week.
The mountain rescue service was alerted around 14:00 local time (13:00 GMT) regarding the first incident.
Four victims were found dead at the scene while an additional individual is recovering from serious injuries. Meanwhile, about an hour and a half earlier, a female skier was entombed by another avalanche in the same open alpine terrain.
Gerhard Kremser, head of the district's mountain rescue service, conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and stressed the grave risks posed by the current avalanche conditions.
In the hours following the initial incidents, additional avalanches were detected in the Pongau region, although no further injuries were recorded.
The tragedy follows a recent string of avalanche-related incidents, including the death of a 13-year-old Czech boy in Bad Gastein and a 58-year-old skier in Weerberg, Tyrol. Additionally, a German man lost his life while skiing in Switzerland during an avalanche, and last weekend, six skiers perished in avalanches across various resorts in France.
