Suddenly masses of snow are loosened and an avalanche thunders over the Arlberg. Head straight for a group of skiers. A video shows how the winter sports enthusiasts disappear into the white masses. “Oh, my God, oh, my God,” the eyewitnesses shout in English in the recording.
The authorities in the ski resorts of Lech/Zürs assumed the worst and launched one of the largest rescue operations in recent years. On Christmas Day, 200 helpers searched the snow masses for hours. The balance: A partially buried 46-year-old German who police say lives in London was quickly found. “He is in intensive care with very serious injuries, but his condition is stable,” said a spokesman for the Tyrolean Clinics in Innsbruck.
According to the police, another winter sports enthusiast was able to free himself and went to hospital with minor injuries. The other skiers, from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and the US, escaped unhurt.
Critical point was blown up extra
After the near-accident, an investigation is underway into how an avalanche could have erupted. Over the weekend, the rescuers warned of a high avalanche risk in this area and in neighboring Tyrol and pointed out the vulnerability of the snow cover in milder temperatures.
Measures were also taken because of the approximately one meter high fresh snow. “The fact is that in the morning there was an explosion right at the point of the avalanche,” Hermann Fercher, director of the tourist office, told the Austrian news agency. Apparently, the explosion did not completely remove the danger. The Alpine Police will now investigate, among other things, for negligent bodily injury.
The avalanche had broken under the 2700 meter high Trittkopf near Lech. According to the police, the reason for the mild outcome was probably that the foothills of the dust avalanche no longer experienced so much violence. “Moreover, it is easier to drive away on a ski slope than in the open ski area,” said the police. The piste with its red markings is only suitable for good skiers anyway, which could certainly have been an advantage.
“Christmas Miracle from Lech”
What could have happened is shown by the area on the slope covered by the avalanche: the avalanche cone was 500 to 600 meters long and several meters high – an area the size of several football fields. The mayor of the town, popular for its many slopes and guaranteed snow, Gerhard Lucian, spoke about the “Christmas miracle of Lech” to the ORF.
Lech’s head of tourism, Hermann Fercher, despite all the joy at the rather mild outcome, had an urgent request: “Anyone involved in an avalanche should report, that would make the job easier,” he told the German news agency. The skiers caught in the avalanche had skied into the valley and sometimes did not report to authorities until hours after the incident. That’s why the rescuers thought there might be other people in the avalanche. At around 8:30 p.m. on the day of the accident, two more people were missing. When they also contacted the police in Lech around 11 p.m. after returning home, the all-clear could be given.
Even so, every square meter was searched for possible victims with search poles under searchlights until midnight. A security investigation followed on Monday. She confirmed that no one is under the avalanche.
In an avalanche accident, every minute counts. Victims usually suffocate quickly under the packed snow or succumb to their injuries. In individual cases, however, victims are lucky and there is a cavity in front of their face through which they can breathe. Under these conditions, winter sports enthusiasts were rescued alive even after a few hours. (jmh/SDA)