In an avalanche accident in the area of the Fliesser Stieralpe in the Tiroler Spiss directly on the Swiss border, five tourers from Sweden and their local mountain guide were buried around noon on Friday. Five of them died. The surviving Swede was able to raise the alarm with a compatriot via WhatsApp, it was said yesterday. He did not go on the tour because of an injury. The tourists may have triggered the slab of snow themselves.
Two Swiss helicopters, an Austrian emergency doctor helicopter and a police helicopter flew to the site in Spiss at over 2,000 meters above sea level. A powerful avalanche had buried the six ski tourers. Four of them could only be rescued dead by Swiss mountain rescuers. A ski tourer was resuscitated, but his rescue was no longer possible. He died later at the accident site. The survivor was flown to a Swiss hospital. In the area – like everywhere else in the alpine terrain in Tyrol – there was a considerable risk of avalanches.
- ZIB 1: Sybille Brunner (ORF) reports on the 50 avalanches on Friday in Tyrol and classifies whether the avalanche warning level should be increased.
Nevertheless, there were numerous accidents. By the early afternoon, the rescue control center had already counted 13 avalanches, but for the most part no one was injured.
A large-scale operation also took place on Friday at the Rettenbachferner in Sölden: five freeriders were buried there by an avalanche, one of them had to be resuscitated. The avalanche was apparently triggered by the winter sports enthusiasts themselves in the open ski area and reached a slope in the ski area. Also shortly before noon there was an avalanche in the Kaltenbach ski area. Off-piste skiers had triggered the slab of snow themselves in the open ski area, two people were partially buried. The winter sports enthusiasts were able to free themselves from the masses of snow with the help of another person.
“Angry and Disappointed”
The head of the Tyrolean avalanche warning service, Rudi Mair, was angry and disappointed in view of the numerous avalanche accidents on Friday. “When you warn and warn again for days and then still more than 50 registered avalanche accidents happen within just two days, it also hurts personally.” Several factors have come together that can result in fatal accidents: “Lots of fresh snow, stormy winds with shipments and an approaching weekend with good weather forecast,” he says.
Source: Nachrichten
