Avalanche drama in Pongau: German dies in hospital

The woman died of her injuries in hospital on Wednesday night, police announced in the afternoon. A total of four Germans were caught in the avalanche, three were able to free themselves, the 56-year-old was buried up to her head and was finally freed from the snow masses by rescue workers.

The accident occurred at around 1,300 meters above sea level on the hiking trail to Schödersee (1,440 meters above sea level). The avalanche broke loose at around 2:15 p.m. on the Seekarspitz near the mountain ridge in the Grauwand area and buried the hiking trail to a width of around 60 to 80 meters. At the time the avalanche occurred, several independent hiking groups were on the trail.

Hiker caught in avalanche

Four hikers were caught in the avalanche. Three were able to free themselves from the snow masses and escape from the danger zone. The 56-year-old was buried up to her head. She was freed by the emergency services and flown to hospital by rescue helicopter. The three other people affected by the avalanche and two other hikers – all Germans – were also taken out of the danger zone by helicopter. A 21-year-old German also sustained injuries.

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 said that there is an increased risk of avalanches in high alpine areas. 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 in general above 1,500 metres above sea level it is 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.