Three Dutch skiers killed in Austrian avalanche, police say

Three Dutch skiers killed in Austrian avalanche, police say

Three Dutch skiers were killed in an avalanche on Thursday near the resort town of Soelden in the Austrian Alps, the police said.

The victims were part of a 17-person ski touring group from the Netherlands that was on an ascent towards a mountain refuge with four Austrian guides, the Tirol state police said in a statement. Ski touring involves skis with special bindings and skins that make moving uphill possible.

"Shortly before 11 a.m. (0900 GMT), during an ascent towards the Martin Buesch Shelter east of the Talleit Peak, an avalanche roughly 180 metres (590 feet) long and 80 metres wide occurred," the statement said.

The avalanche swept away four members of the group, two of whom were dead when rescuers found them. The two others were rescued injured; one was flown to hospital by helicopter and the other remained on the mountain, the statement said.

The skier who remained on the mountain died, a police spokesman said later.