Avalanches kill five in Austrian Alps, officials say

2 hours agoReutersA major rescue operation was launched at St Anton after five skiers were caught in an avalanche some 450m wideFive people were killed in a series of avalanches in the Austrian Alps as heavy snowfall hit the region on Friday.A 42-year-old German man, caught in an avalanche with his 16-year-old son, was among the victims, police said. The teenager was airlifted to hospital from the slope in Nauders near the Swiss-Italian border.Three other skiers were killed in an avalanche near the popular St Anton resort, while a snowboarder died after being buried in the neighbouring Vorarlberg region.Austria has now seen at least 21 avalanche-related deaths this winter, while dozens of fatalities have been recorded across the Alps.The avalanche risk remains high in parts of Tyrol - meaning avalanches can be expected - where two fatal avalanches occurred on Friday in off-piste areas.Police told Austrian media the avalanche near St Anton am Arlberg, which killed three men, appeared to have been triggered by the skiers themselves.Two were American and Polish nationals, public broadcaster ORF reported, while the third was a 21-year-old Austrian who died in hospital.Two other men were recovered from the scene with injuries after a major operation involving four mountain rescue teams, three helicopters, as well as emergency services.Elsewhere, a 53-year-old man died after being crushed by a snow plough in the northern city of Linz.The vehicle slid down a set of stairs where the man had been clearing snow, ORF reported. He died at the scene.The significant snowfall in the region also caused power outages and transport chaos on Friday, particularly in the south-east.The Red Cross was deployed to help those stuck in traffic jams in the state of Styria, where a motoring organisation described the roads as "virtually inaccessible to private vehicles".Vienna International Airport temporarily closed in the morning, and afternoon services were "disrupted".The avalanche death toll in the Alps has been higher than usual this year, and includes three Britons killed in France's La Grave earlier this month.