Tragic news out of the Salzburg province of Austria where an avalanche killed three skiers and injured two others on Saturday. International Business Times reports the victims were three young Austrian men. One skier was 24 years old and two were 19 years old. One of the 19-year-olds was identified as Rene Hofer, a junior motocross world and European champion.
Of the group of 11 skiers on the slope at the time of the slide, 3 were buried completely and another two were partially buried and able to free themselves. The avalanche reportedly measured 650 feet wide. Two of the buried skiers were wearing beacons were found by rescuers relatively quickly. The third skier was not wearing a search device and was not found until four hours after the avalanche.
The three skiers were taken to a hospital in Klagenfurt. One died when they arrived, while the other two died later.
images from BergrettungTamsweg140 Facebook
