Five people have died in a series of avalanches in the Austrian Alps due to heavy snowfall that hit the region on Friday, UNN reports with reference to the BBC.
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A 42-year-old German man, who was caught in an avalanche with his 16-year-old son, was among the victims, police said. The teenager was airlifted to a hospital from a slope in Nauders, near the Swiss-Italian border.
Three other skiers died in an avalanche near the popular resort of St. Anton, and a snowboarder died after being buried under snow in the neighboring Vorarlberg region.
This winter, at least 21 avalanche-related deaths have been recorded in Austria, while dozens of fatalities have been reported across the Alps.
The avalanche risk remains high in parts of Tyrol, meaning avalanches can be expected where two fatal avalanches occurred in off-piste areas on Friday.
Police told Austrian media that the avalanche near St. Anton am Arlberg, which killed three men, was likely triggered by the skiers themselves.
Two were US and Polish nationals, public broadcaster ORF reported, and the third was a 21-year-old Austrian who died in hospital.
Two other men were evacuated from the scene with injuries after a large-scale operation involving four mountain rescue teams, three helicopters, and emergency services.
Elsewhere, a 53-year-old man died after being crushed by a snowplow in the northern city of Linz.
The vehicle drove off the stairs where the man was clearing snow, ORF reported. He died at the scene.
Significant snowfall in the region also caused power outages and transport chaos on Friday, especially in the southeast.
The Red Cross was deployed to assist those stranded in traffic jams in the state of Styria, where the automobile organization described roads as "practically inaccessible for private vehicles."
Vienna International Airport temporarily closed in the morning, and traffic was "interrupted" in the afternoon.
The number of avalanche deaths in the Alps this year is higher than usual and includes three Britons who died in La Grave, France, earlier this month.
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