Three avalanches Eight skiers were killed across Austria, authorities said, as dangerous avalanches continue to rage around the world in the first month of 2026.
A female skier was killed by an avalanche in the Bad Hofgastein area of western Austria, at an altitude of about 7,200 meters, around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Pongau mountain rescue service.
Approximately 90 minutes later, an avalanche in the Gastein valley south of the city of Salzburg killed seven people. Four were killed, two were seriously injured and one escaped unharmed.
Three Czech skiers died in an avalanche in the central Austrian town of Pusterwald just before 4:30 p.m., police said. Their four companions evacuated them to safety.
Four rescue helicopters, mountain rescue and Red Cross dog teams and a crisis intervention team have attended.
“This tragedy painfully illustrates the seriousness of the current avalanche situation.” said Gerhard KremserThe district head of the mountain rescue service Pongau, highlighted the “clear and repeated warnings” about the risk of avalanches.
Mountain rescue through Pongau AP 
On Tuesday, an avalanche killed a 13-year-old Czech boy who was skiing off-piste in the Austrian resort of Bad Gastein.
Last Sunday, the 58-year-old ski alpinist died in an avalanche in the Tyrolean resort of Weerberg in western Austria.
Deadly avalanches around the world this month
In neighboring Switzerland, a German was killed in an avalanche and four others were injured while cross-country skiing on Friday.
Last weekend in France, six skiers were killed by avalanches in various resorts in the Alps.
At least four people have died in avalanches in the US West this month.
Last week, a snowmobile died because of it buried by an avalanche in Wyoming.
That event happened two days later two men died In a snowstorm in central Washington state.
Earlier this month, a snowmobiler in California’s Sierra Nevada he died after being buried by an avalanche.
In the winter, 25-30 people die in avalanches in the US, according to National Avalanche Center.