Avalanche drama in Pongau: Three Germans injured

An avalanche hit a hiking trail in Hüttschlag in Salzburg's Pongau region on Tuesday afternoon. According to police, a total of four people from Germany were affected.

A 56-year-old woman suffered serious injuries. Two people were rescued with minor injuries, according to the Salzburg mountain rescue service. The accident occurred at around 1,300 meters above sea level in the direction of Schödersee (1,440 meters above sea level).

The slab avalanche occurred at around 2:15 p.m. According to the emergency services, six people were affected, three of whom were buried. A major operation was triggered. Members of the Hüttschlag and Großarl mountain rescue stations and dog handlers from the mountain rescue team were dispatched to help.

Two rescue helicopter teams, a police helicopter team, the Red Cross including a crisis intervention team and the local volunteer fire department were also on duty.

As the police reported on Wednesday, the wet snow avalanche on the Seekarspitz was released near the mountain ridge in the area of ​​the Grauwand towards Schödertal and buried the hiking trail over a width of around 60 to 80 metres. At the time of the avalanche, several independent hiking groups were on the trail, at an altitude of around 1,250 metres.

According to the police, four people were caught in the avalanche. Three of them were able to free themselves from the snow masses and escape the danger zone. The 56-year-old was buried up to his head. Those affected are setting the rescue chain in motion.

Heavy snowfall in recent days

The woman from Germany was able to be freed by the emergency services. She was flown by a rescue helicopter to the Schwarzach im Pongau hospital. The three other people affected by the avalanche and two hikers, all German, were taken out of the danger zone by helicopter. A 21-year-old German also sustained injuries in the incident.

The hiking trail towards Schödersee is in an avalanche catchment area. Due to the heavy snowfall of the past few days, the mountain rescue service has increased the risk of avalanches in the high Alps. In the high altitudes of the Northern Alps and in some areas of the Hohe Tauern, over 150 centimetres of snow had already fallen by Saturday afternoon, and above 1,500 metres above sea level it was 50 to 100 centimetres. However, due to the recent heat wave of the summer, the snow is very poorly bonded to the ground. The rising temperatures can trigger gliding snow.