8 killed in Austria avalanches on 'black Saturday'

VIENNA -- Avalanches have claimed eight lives in Austria's Styria and Salzburg regions, the country's largest newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported, calling today the "black Saturday."

Three people were killed on Saturday afternoon in an avalanche which occurred in the Pusterwald area in Styria, the newspaper said.

Also on Saturday, five people were killed after two avalanches struck western Austria's Salzburg region, the Austrian broadcaster ORF reported.

The first avalanche was reported shortly after noon at an altitude of 2,200 meters in the Bad Hofgastein area. One person was buried and killed in open alpine terrain, according to the ORF.

In the second incident, a total of seven people were swept away in the Finsterkopf area in the Grossarl Valley. Four of them were found dead, while the other three survived, according to the ORF report.

Helicopters, dog squadron, crisis intervention team, alpine police and emergency paramedics have been dispatched to the scene, the report said.

"Our sympathy goes out to the families. This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is," said Gerhard Kremser, head of the local mountain rescue department.

Around midday, some other avalanches were triggered in nearby areas by winter sports enthusiasts. However, no people were injured, ORF reported.

The Salzburg avalanche warning service raised the danger level for Saturday to "level 3," indicating considerable danger.