Image: private
At around 2:30 p.m., the man was on his way alone from the Pötschen Pass to the Sarstein. At an altitude of about 1,800 meters, he crossed a steep gully and released a slab of snow. The ski tourer was swept away and could not free himself, the police said in a broadcast.
Found nine hours later
A relative of the man filed a missing person report with the police on Saturday evening. Alpine police, mountain rescue and flight police started a search operation, they found the Styrian in the avalanche around midnight.
14 ski tourers caught in an avalanche
In an avalanche on the Drusenfluh in the Montafon on Saturday at around 2,200 meters above sea level, 14 ski tourers were caught and carried away. According to the police, the tourers were all equipped with complete emergency equipment, some even with an avalanche airbag. Three were slightly injured, the others escaped with a fright. The avalanche had released itself under the so-called Öfapass.
Four victims rescued by attendants
At the time, avalanche warning level 3, light snowfall, fog and poor visibility prevailed. Ten tourers were only partially buried and were able to free themselves. Another four completely buried people were immediately located by the rest of the group and rescued from the masses of snow. The three injured people sought medical treatment.
Due to the weather, the area could not be reached by helicopter. A total of 28 people from mountain rescue and alpine police were deployed.
Source: Nachrichten
