Alarm mood in Tyrol

Here we go! First avalanche rescue operations in Tyrol

The avalanche in Serfaus occurred directly below the railway line.(Bild: Alpinpolizei)

Despite all the warnings, there were avalanche alerts again in Tyrol on Saturday! In Serfaus (Landeck district), a winter sports enthusiast was buried by snow in open terrain. He was rescued but is in critical condition. There was also an alert in Wattener Lizum (Innsbruck-Land district). Danger level 4 prevails across Tyrol. The Austrian Armed Forces are on standby to assist. AT Alert was triggered in the afternoon!

The first avalanche warning on Saturday in Tyrol was issued at 10:23 a.m.: The Tyrol control center reported an avalanche in Serfaus. This occurred in the Hintergreitbach area in open terrain near the second section of the Komperdellbahn. Apparently directly in the area of the lift route.

The avalanche in Serfaus occurred directly below the railway line.(Bild: Alpinpolizei)

Buried person rescued, condition critical
A winter sports enthusiast was buried. The Serfaus and Fiss mountain rescue services were alerted, as were the Christophorus 5 emergency helicopter and the Libelle Tirol police helicopter. "After a guest reported the incident, the search was initiated immediately, as it was suspected that someone had been buried," said the mountain railway company. At around 10:45 a.m., the male skier was found and rescued alive.

At around 10:45 a.m., the male skier was found and rescued alive.

Ein Sprecher Seilbahn Komperdell

According to information from "Krone," the victim is in critical condition; the man was completely buried in the snow for about half an hour. He was flown to the Innsbruck clinic by emergency helicopter.

Another alarm, adverse weather conditions
Shortly afterwards, the next alarm was raised – this time in Wattener Lizum in the area of the so-called Hillary Cross in the Tux Alps. The situation remained unclear for a long time. The crew of the Alpin 5 emergency helicopter attempted to assess the situation from the air. "However, as in Serfaus, visibility is poor due to the weather conditions," said the control center. In the meantime, the operation was called off. According to the Tyrol control center, it was a so-called negative avalanche with no people involved.

AT-Alert was triggered in the afternoon!(Bild: Hubert Rauth)

AT-Alert triggered in Tyrol in the afternoon
At 1:30 p.m., the state of Tyrol sent an official hazard warning via AT-Alert to all mobile phones logged in to Tyrol. The reason for this is the current high avalanche danger (level 4) in numerous areas.

We urge the population and our guests to stay in safe areas and avoid off-piste skiing, even below the tree line.

Elmar Rizzoli, Krisenmanager Land Tirol

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

The population and guests staying in Tyrol were alerted to the high avalanche risk in open terrain via AT-Alert. "We urge the population and our guests to stay in secure areas and avoid off-piste skiing, even below the tree line," said Elmar Rizzoli, head of the Center for Crisis and Disaster Management. The marked slopes should not be left under any circumstances. 

Urgent warning to all winter sports enthusiasts
Today, Saturday, there could be another series of avalanches in Tyrol, just like on Friday. The situation throughout the state remains critical, with danger level 4 out of 5 prevailing in many areas. In the morning, the avalanche warning service once again issued an urgent warning about the current situation.

Winter sports enthusiasts could very easily trigger avalanches. There are numerous danger spots, even below the tree line. Snow slabs are still to be expected, which, as on Friday in St. Anton am Arlberg, can become very large in isolated cases. With the rain, the likelihood of spontaneous avalanches is increasing significantly.

Austrian Armed Forces on avalanche assistance mission
Five people died in avalanches in the mountains of western Austria on Friday – four in Tyrol alone and one in Vorarlberg. At the request of the Tyrol State Warning Center, the Austrian Armed Forces will be on avalanche assistance duty in Tyrol on Saturday.

The operation is currently planned for Saturday until 6 p.m., according to the Ministry of Defense. Reconnaissance flights are planned to assess the situation, as well as transporting mountain rescue personnel, who will then carry out avalanche blasting and winch rescues.