Watch: Avalanche wipes out skiers in Austrian Alps
The avalanche happened on Christmas Day in the Lech/Zürs ski area. The ski area lies in the state of Vorarlberg in west Austria.
Avalanche crashes over skiers in Austria
Four people were rescued after the avalanche occurred on Christmas Day. (Courtesy: Stefan Albrecht via Storyful)
ARLBERG, Austria – Recently-recorded video showed skiers being swallowed by an avalanche that barreled down an Alpine ski area in Austria.
The incident happened on at about 3 p.m. local time Sunday in the Lech/Zürs ski area on the Arlberg, a mountainous area in the west Austrian state of Vorarlberg.
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Footage shot by local ski instructor Stefan Albrecht shows the avalanche barreling down the slope toward the skiers.
From afar, the avalanche can be seen kicking up snow, enshrouding all within its path. The skiers only appear as tiny black dots on the white mountain slope, disappearing one by one as the avalanched overtook them.
"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Albrecht said, as he captured the moment the skiers were overtaken by the avalanche.
![The avalanche starts careening down the mountain.]()
Image 1 of 3The avalanche starts careening down the mountain. (Stefan Albrecht via Storyful)
![The avalanche swallows up the skiers, who appear as tiny black figures on the white snow.]()
Image 2 of 3The avalanche swallows up the skiers, who appear as tiny black figures on the white snow. (Stefan Albrecht via Storyful)
![The avalanche after it wiped out the skiers.]()
Image 3 of 3The avalanche after it wiped out the skiers. (Stefan Albrecht via Storyful)
He was skiing with a colleague at the time. When the avalanche began, Albrecht said he immediately decided to make a video, not knowing how bad the avalanche would be.
"Yo! We've got to go check on those people," Albrecht could be heard saying on the video. He and his colleague then rushed down to help search for victims.
According to officials from the Austrian defense ministry, around 200 emergency services and eight helicopters were dispatched to aid in search and rescue efforts.
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Police reported that four people were rescued. One of them sustained serious injuries and was flown to a clinic in the city of Innsbruck for treatment.