Rescuers search for survivors after an avalanche in the Salzburg Pongau region in western Austria on Saturday. Photograph: Bergrettung Pongau/APEight skiers have been killed in three avalanches across Austria, authorities said. A female skier was buried by an avalanche in the Bad Hofgastein area in western Austria at an altitude of about 7,200 feet, at about 12.30pm on Saturday, according to the Pongau mountain rescue service. In the town of Pusterwald in central Austria, three Czech skiers were killed in an avalanche shortly before 4.30pm, police said. “This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is,” said Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service, noting the “clear and repeated warnings” about avalanche risk.

Source: The Irish Times January 19, 2026 01:40 UTC