Avalanche in Western Austria results in 5th death

An avalanche has claimed another life at the ski resort of Hochfuegen in Tyrol, Austria on Wednesday, bringing the death toll from avalanches in the state to five people in less than a week.

The incident occurred when two workers from a cable car operator in the region were conducting a snow profile to create a risk assessment for avalanches when a snow slab broke loose and swept both men away.

One of the men was only partially submerged in snow and was uninjured. He managed to contact emergency services who then located the other man, who was completely buried under snow, and proceeded to dig him out.

The 49-year-old was found lifeless and all attempts to resuscitate him failed.

Harald Riedl from the Tyrolean Avalanche Commission said 1,000 such snow profiles were conducted in Tyrol each year though in 11 years he had not been aware of a similar case occurring, Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported.

Riedl said there was no avoiding such accidents as during the creation of a snow profile there was always "some risk."

The latest incident follows the death of a 52-year-old mountain rescuer on New Year's Day, followed by a 25-year-old snowboarder two days later, and two members of the U.S. ski team on Monday. All deaths were caused by avalanches and occurred in the state of Tyrol.

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