An Irish teenager was questioned by police after allegedly leaving the scene of a fatal skiing collision in Austria.
The 14-year-old boy, who has not been identified, was involved in a crash around 3pm on Saturday while on holiday with his family in Zell am See, a popular destination in the Salzburg region.
A 49-year-old Austrian man, local to the area, tragically died at the scene on the Schmittenhöhe mountain after a collision with another skier, police said.
After hearing about the fatality in local media, the teenager’s parents told local police on Sunday that the child was the other person involved in the accident, a police spokesperson said.
“There was a search for the boy, as maybe he did not know the man had died,” they said, as reported by the Irish Independent.
The teenager was interviewed on Sunday and made a statement as police launched an investigation. The age of criminal responsibility in Austria is 14.
A police spokesperson told Extra.ie: “The young boy came to the police station with his mother a day after the crash. The police in Zell am See took his statement, and he was free to go.
“This is now a matter for the courts to decide what happens to the child. The results from the autopsy are important as it shows exactly how the man died. But it is not for the police to say if he should go to court. It is for a judge.”
The autopsy will help inform the investigation, the spokesperson said. There is no indication that the boy deliberately crashed into the man, and Austrian police believe that it was an accident, the outlet reports.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland told The Independent: “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of this case and is providing consular assistance. The Department does not comment on the specific details of individual cases.”
The Independent approached the Zell am See police for comment.
Separately, a 14-year-old Czech boy was killed on Monday morning after veering off piste at the Feuerkogel resort in Austria.
The teenager, who was not named, was found by a cable car employee who happened to be passing at the time who called the authorities.
First responders tried to resuscitate the child for an hour before he was declared dead.
Feuerkogel is a mountain in Upper Austria which lies 200 kilometres west of Vienna. The resort offers a mix of year-round experiences for skiers and hikers, including family-friendly slopes.