Avalanches Strike Ski Resorts in Switzerland, Austria

Image: PHOTO: An avalanche in the Alps. (photo via Audrey COPPEE/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Image: PHOTO: An avalanche in the Alps. (photo via Audrey COPPEE/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 1:26 PM ET, Thu December 26, 2019

Rescue teams are searching for survivors following avalanches at ski resorts in Switzerland and Austria on Thursday.

At least two people were injured and several others were buried when an avalanche struck a ski slope at the SkiArena resort in Andermatt, Switzerland, which is located roughly 70 miles south of Zurich.

"We believe there are more people buried but we can't say how many," Reto Pfister, state police spokesperson in the Swiss canton of Uri, told NBC News. According to Pfister, the two people who were rescued in Andermatt were hospitalized with only minor injuries.

The avalanche in the Swiss Alps occurred at around 10:50 a.m. local time (4:50 a.m. ET).

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that at least three avalanches occurred in the ski resort of Ankogel, Austria on Thursday, burying two free riders who were able to escape the snow. Rescuers are also searching for possible victims in those incidents.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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