69-year-old injured

Ski tourers swept away by an avalanche in Tyrol

Three ski tourers were caught and swept away by an avalanche in the Tyrolean Außerfern on Saturday morning. One local (69) was injured, two Germans (both 30) escaped with a scare.

The trio were skiing in the "Wannig" area in the municipality of Biberwier (Reutte district) shortly before 11 a.m. on Saturday when a slab avalanche suddenly broke loose. "At the time, the 69-year-old Austrian and the two 30-year-old German ski tourers were on the ascent and were swept away on the surface by the avalanche," said the police.

Police investigations are ongoing
The local man was seriously injured. "The two Germans were also caught in the avalanche and swept down into the cirque. They were always able to stay on the surface and remained uninjured," said the police. Investigations into exactly how the avalanche was triggered are ongoing. It also remains unclear whether the 69-year-old was buried.