Eight killed as series of avalanches hit Austrian mountains

Mountain rescue crews were first called to the Bad Hofgastein area of Salzburg Pongau at midday on Saturday, following reports that a female skier had died after being buried by an avalanche.

Around 90 minutes later, rescue helicopters, mountain rescue teams and Red Cross dog units were deployed to nearby Gastein Valley, south of the city of Salzburg, after seven people were swept away by a snow slide.

Read more: Iran's leader calls Trump a 'criminal' for backing protests

Read more: South Africa declares national disaster over torrential rains and floods that have killed at least 30 people

Police later confirmed that four of the group had died, while two others were injured and a third escaped unharmed.

The four deceased included three men aged 53, 63, and 65, and a woman aged 60.

Authorities also reported that three Czech skiers were killed after they were completely buried by an avalanche in the town of Pusterwald in central Austria shortly before 4.30pm.

They were part of a group of seven, with the remaining four evacuated to safety.

"This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is," said Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service.

The Salzburg avalanche warning service had raised "clear and repeated warnings" about the avalanche risk after heavy snowfall hit parts of Europe over the past week.

The service, which provides daily bulletins on snow conditions and avalanche danger in the region, raised the danger level for Saturday to level three out of five, signalling considerable danger.

Those taking part in winter sports on European mountains have been warned that cracks and settling noises when walking on snow indicate avalanche danger.

Last week, a British man in his 50s was among six skiers who died in France after being caught in several avalanches in various alpine resorts.