Austria avalanche: 2 missing at popular ski hotspot in Lech

Monday, December 26, 2022

The two people are still missing after a massive avalanche hit a ski resort in Austria today. The pair were among ten people initially feared buried under the snow at the popular hotspot in Lech.

There are 8 people have since been identified and are accounted for.

The avalanche struck the Trittkopf mountain between Zürs and Lechin in Austria around 3pm. Some 200 rescue workers scrambled to the scene to search for survivors.

One person – who was injured in the horror – was quickly rescued, officials say.

The Austrian Press Agency (APA) later confirmed that rescuers had requested headlamps so that they could continue the search in the dark. Lech-Zuers tourism director Hermann Fercher said the hunt would continue “all night if we have to”.

The pictures taken close to the scene show dozens of rescue workers on a mountain road in the Vorarlberg region.

Mountain rescue dog teams are also involved in the search. “We are doing everything we can to rescue the winter sports enthusiasts,” APA quoted the municipality of Lech as saying.

The resort’s website said that the ski area is now closed with an update scheduled for Monday morning. Lech dubs itself “one of the best ski areas in the world” for alpine sports fans. It follows days of snow and an unseasonably warm Christmas Day in the region.

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