02/21/2026, 07:0502/21/2026, 07:05
After persistent snowfall, the danger of avalanches remains high in the Alps. Several people have died in avalanches in Austria, northern Italy and Switzerland in recent days.
As the Bavarian avalanche warning service announced, there is a great danger of avalanches above 1,600 meters, especially in the Allgäu and Werdenfels Alps, which corresponds to warning level four out of five. Below this height there is considerable danger in many places (warning level three). Avalanches could be triggered by even a small amount of additional load and could also hit exposed paths.
Given the heavy snowfall, the danger of avalanches is currently high in many European winter sports regions. In the past few days, the authorities have repeatedly reported deaths from severe avalanches.
Number of victims increased in Austria
In Austria, the number of avalanche deaths rose to five. In St. Anton am Arlberg, two people could only be rescued dead from the masses of snow, a police spokesman said. Of the three people who were initially injured, one died in hospital that evening.
In Klösterle in the state of Vorarlberg, a 39-year-old Swiss man died while riding snowboards down a 40-degree slope with a 47-year-old German. The 39-year-old triggered a slab of snow, was dragged about 250 meters and completely buried. His companion remained unhurt.
Previously, a 42-year-old German skier was hit by an avalanche off the piste in the Tyrolean ski area of Nauders and killed. His 16-year-old son survived with serious injuries, police said. The duo wanted to cross a north-facing slope when a slab of snow that was around 400 meters wide came loose and dragged both winter sports enthusiasts around 200 to 300 meters away. The victims come from the Thuringian district of Eichsfeld.
200 avalanche operations in seven days
Up to 40 centimeters of fresh snow had recently fallen in Tyrol. The avalanche situation is explosive. On Friday alone, the authorities counted more than 30 avalanche operations in the state, which is also popular with German winter sports enthusiasts. In total there were 200 in the last seven days.
A castle lord from Dortmund died in an avalanche accident in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. This was confirmed by the cantonal police. The 49-year-old and his 15-year-old son were swept away by an avalanche outside the marked slopes on Tuesday. While the father was only rescued dead, the rescuers were able to free the son from the masses of snow.
Avalanche in Graubünden.Image: Kapo Graubünden
A German also died in an avalanche in northern Italy. According to the Ansa news agency, the 54-year-old was on a ski tour at an altitude of 2,550 meters near the municipality of Saint-Nicolas in the Aosta Valley on the border with France on Thursday afternoon with a group of other Germans when the accident occurred. (sda/dpa)
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