VIENNA - Three German skiers were found dead overnight and a fourth is missing after they were swept away in an avalanche near the Austrian ski resort of Lech am Arlberg, police said on Sunday.

The group of four had been using touring skis, which enable skiers to climb as well as ski down slopes and explore off-piste, police in the western province of Vorarlberg said.

The three dead men, from the Upper Swabia area of southwestern Germany, were found around 11 pm after one of their wives declared them missing. They were aged 57, 36 and 32. The fourth person, who is 28 and also from southern Germany, was still missing, a police statement said.

Heavy snow has hit the Austrian Alps in the past week, raising avalanche warning levels and cutting off local roads. The warning level in the area above 2,000 meters on Saturday was 3 on a scale that goes up to 5. </s> Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in Austria and a fourth is missing, police said on Sunday as snowfall set in again in the northern Alps.

The bodies of the men – aged 57, 36 and 32 – were recovered on Saturday evening near the ski resort of Lech, a few hours after the wife of one of the skiers reported them missing.

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria’s western-most province, said they had to call off the search for another missing German skier in the group, age 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

The avalanche brings to at least 24 the number of weather-related deaths reported in parts of Europe this month. </s> Three skiers killed in Austrian avalanche, fourth missing

The bodies of the men, aged 57, 36 and 32, were recovered later Saturday evening near the ski resort of Lech. </s> Three German skiers were found dead overnight and a fourth is missing after they were swept away in an avalanche near the Austrian ski resort of Lech am Arlberg, police said on Sunday.

The group of four had been using touring skis, which enable skiers to climb as well as ski down slopes and explore off-piste, police in the western province of Vorarlberg said.

The three dead men, from the Upper Swabia area of south-western Germany, were found around 11 pm (2200 GMT) after one of their wives declared them missing. They were aged 57, 36 and 32. The fourth person, who is 28 and also from southern Germany, was still missing, a police statement said.

Heavy snow has hit the Austrian Alps in the past week, raising avalanche warning levels and cutting off local roads.

The avalanche brings to at least 24 the number of weather-related deaths reported in parts of Europe this month.

Police said the friends had apparently skied on to a trail that was closed. Although they had avalanche protection equipment and deployed airbags, the victims were buried by the avalanche and suffered multiple injuries. They were located with the help of mobile phone tracking.

On Saturday, authorities in southern Germany and Austria used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads.

But snow set in again on Saturday night. In the Bavarian town of Kempten, local authorities closed 11 sports halls as a precaution through Tuesday because the weight of snow on their roofs was expected to increase, the German news agency dpa reported.

Trains between the German cities of Munich and Lindau, on Lake Constance near the Austrian border, were travelling more slowly than usual because of a risk of that trees weighed down by snow could fall on to the tracks. </s> Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the Austrian Alps – and a fourth is missing, police have said.

The bodies of the men – aged 57, 36 and 32 – were recovered on Saturday evening near Lech, a few hours after the wife of one of the skiers reported them missing.

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria’s western-most province, said on Sunday they had to call off the search for another German, aged 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

The avalanche deaths bring to at least 24 the number of weather-related fatalities reported in parts of Europe this month.

On Saturday, authorities in southern Germany and Austria used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads. </s> At least three people have been killed in an avalanche at a ski resort in the Austrian Alps, police say.

Rescuers are looking for a fourth person missing after the avalanche hit at about 12:30 local time (11:30 GMT).

The four were said to be in a group of eight foreign tourists but managed to free themselves and seek help, according to Austrian reports.

The avalanche happened in a remote area close to the Jochgrubenkopf peak in the Tyrol in western Austria.

Rudi Mair from the Tyrol avalanche warning service said "tonnes of snow" had come down.

He described the area as "extremely steep". </s> Zermatt ski resort in Switzerland was forced to shut down on January 9, leaving 13,000 tourists stranded, due to heavy snowfall and high risk of avalanches in the area. This video, captured by an avalanche monitoring company using high-definition CCTV, shows an avalanche that took place in the same area five days previously, on January 4. As powdered snow begins to fall towards the camera, it is followed by a torrent of heavy snow carrying branches and small trees down the side of the mountain. The Swiss Alps, and particularly the Zermatt area, were placed on the maximum alert level for avalanche risk on January 8. Credit: Twitter/GEOPRAEVENT via Storyful

Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in Austria and a fourth is still missing, police said on Sunday as snowfall set in again in the northern Alps.

Meanwhile in France, two ski patrollers were killed when the devices they use to trigger avalanches exploded.

In Austria, the wife of one of the German skiers reported them missing on Saturday (local time). The bodies of the men, aged 57, 36 and 32, were recovered later Saturday evening near the ski resort of Lech, 20 kilometres from where Australian student Max Meyer died in an avalanche in the ski village of St. Anton am Arlberg on Wednesday.

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria’s westernmost province, said they had to call off the search for another missing German skier in the group, age 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

Police said the four friends had apparently skied onto a trail that was closed. Although they had avalanche protection equipment and deployed airbags, the victims were buried by the avalanche and suffered multiple injuries. They were located with the help of cellphone tracking.

The two accidents brought to at least 26 the number of weather-related deaths reported in parts of Europe this month.

In France, the Haute-Savoie region’s high mountain gendarmerie said the two ski patrollers were killed on Sunday morning in Morillon before ski slopes were opened to the public. Officers were investigating the scene to determine the cause of the rare accident.

Ski patrollers are in charge of preventing potential dangers to skiers, notably by triggering controlled avalanches with powerful explosive charges. Authorities in southern Germany and Austria had used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads, but snow set in again on Saturday night.

In the Bavarian town of Kempten, local authorities closed 11 sports halls as a precaution through Tuesday fearing that the weight of snow on their roofs was posing increasing dangers, the German news agency dpa reported. Trains between the German cities of Munich and Lindau were travelling more slowly than usual because of a risk of snow-laden trees falling onto the tracks.

The small Alpine resort of Balderschwang on Germany’s border with Austria was cut off Sunday after the pass leading to it was closed for fear of avalanches.

In central Switzerland, trains carrying cars through the Furka tunnel were suspended because of an avalanche on a nearby road. </s> Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the Austria – and a fourth is missing, police said on Sunday as snowfall set in again in the northern Alps.

Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the Austria – and a fourth is missing, police said on Sunday as snowfall set in again in the northern Alps.

The bodies of the men – aged 57, 36 and 32 – were recovered on Saturday evening near the ski resort of Lech, a few hours after the wife of one of the skiers reported them missing.

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria’s western-most province, said they had to call off the search for another missing German skier in the group, age 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

The avalanche brings to at least 24 the number of weather-related deaths reported in parts of Europe this month.

Police said the friends had apparently skied onto a trail that was closed.

Although they had avalanche protection equipment and deployed airbags, the victims were buried by the avalanche and suffered multiple injuries. They were located with the help of phone tracking.

On Saturday, authorities in southern Germany and Austria used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads.

But snow set in again on Saturday night. In the Bavarian town of Kempten, local authorities closed 11 sports halls as a precaution because the weight of snow on their roofs was expected to increase, the German news agency dpa reported.

Trains between the German cities of Munich and Lindau, on Lake Constance near the Austrian border, were travelling more slowly than usual because of a risk of that trees weighed down by snow could fall onto the tracks. </s> VIENNA: Three people were killed when their ski touring group was swept away by an avalanche in western Austria, and a fourth person was missing, police in the Tyrol region said on Wednesday.

Rescuers were still hunting for the missing person in the remote area near the Jochgrubenkopf, a roughly 2,450m-high peak.

The group of eight people was using touring skis, with which one can climb and descend, making remote areas accessible.

Their nationalities were not yet known, police said.

"Four of them were able to free themselves (from the snow)," a spokeswoman for Tyrol police said. "After the search operation for the remaining four, three were found dead. The fourth person who remains unaccounted for is being sought."

The avalanche struck around 12:30 p.m. (1130 GMT), she said.
An avalanche near the Austrian Lech am Arlberg ski resort kills three skiers and leaves a fourth missing.