Eight people died in avalanches in Austria on Saturday. Mountain rescue teams in Salzburg reported five fatalities among Austrian citizens caused by two separate avalanches. The following day, news emerged of another avalanche in Styria, where a group of seven Czech skiers was caught in the snow, three of whom lost their lives.
A spokesperson for the Austrian mountain rescue service again warned on Sunday about the tense avalanche conditions in the high Alps. Snow accumulations are currently very uneven, leading authorities to maintain a level three out of five avalanche alert.
In total, 17 people practising winter sports in the Alps lost their lives over the past week.
