Man dies in Åre avalanche
A man in his 30s died in an avalanche in the Swedish ski resort of Åre on Thursday.
The avalanche struck around lunchtime. The man was rescued from the mass of snow and taken by ambulance to the hospital in Östersund. He died shortly after arrival.
"The rescue work is continuing at full pace - we want to make sure that there aren't more people who have been dragged into the avalanche," said Nalle Hansson, head of security in the Åre ski region.
According to Jämtland police it is unlikely that other people were covered by the snow, after a search with transmitters, dogs and sonar revealed no signals.
Early reports say that skiers released the avalanche, which was around 50 metres wide, onto an off-piste area between two pistes.
Heavy snowfall has created an unstable snow layer, leading to an increased risk that it will give way on steeper sections. The avalanche risk was 3 on the 5 point scale.
The Local
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The avalanche struck around lunchtime. The man was rescued from the mass of snow and taken by ambulance to the hospital in Östersund. He died shortly after arrival.
"The rescue work is continuing at full pace - we want to make sure that there aren't more people who have been dragged into the avalanche," said Nalle Hansson, head of security in the Åre ski region.
According to Jämtland police it is unlikely that other people were covered by the snow, after a search with transmitters, dogs and sonar revealed no signals.
Early reports say that skiers released the avalanche, which was around 50 metres wide, onto an off-piste area between two pistes.
Heavy snowfall has created an unstable snow layer, leading to an increased risk that it will give way on steeper sections. The avalanche risk was 3 on the 5 point scale.
The Local
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