Six mountain climbers have been killed in an avalanche in a resort in Austria.
The avalanche occurred in Soelden, about 80km southwest of Innsbruck, around 4.15pm local time yesterday.
Austrian rescue workers are searching for casualties after recovering the bodies.
Police have identified the dead climbers as five Czechs and one Slovak with the help of a surviving member of the group who had opted out of the ascent and remained behind in a mountain hut.
Bad weather prevented rescuers from searching the area by helicopter yesterday. Skiers were warned of "very unsteady" weather conditions, according to the resort's website. Temperatures are expected to be near freezing today and climb as high as 16 degrees Celsius later in the week.
The Soelden ski area said today about half of its ski runs and lifts are still open, with 164cm of snow still on the ground at the 2,300m high peak.
Agencies