VIENNA: A major snowstorm hit Austria on Friday, leaving five people dead and causing power outages and transport chaos, officials said.
One man, aged 53, was crushed to death when a snow plow fell down steps in a “residential complex” in the northern city of Linz, police said.
Four skiers were killed in avalanches in the Tyrol region.
Three of them died in a giant avalanche near the St. Anton ski resort, officials said. A German died on a slope at Nauders that was buried by snow. His 16-year-old son was seriously injured, officials added.
Tyrol authorities appealed for skiers to stay away from off-piste slopes as the latest deaths took to 21 the number of dead in avalanches in Austria this winter season. They said the risk would remain high for several days.
