RESCUERS are racing against time on Austria’s Stubai Glacier after a massive avalanche roared down the mountain on Thursday morning, swallowing skiers and leaving a vast field of debris in its wake.
The deadly slide struck without warning at around 9.30am, thundering through open terrain near the Daunscharte pass – a notorious stretch outside the protected ski runs.
Cops say several off-piste skiers were on the slope at the time and are believed to have triggered the avalanche themselves, before being swept away and buried beneath tonnes of snow.
Local media reports that six skiers who were partially buried have now been dragged alive from the snow – a miraculous escape given the scale of the slide.
Rescuers are still assessing their condition, and it remains unclear how severe their injuries are.
What is clear, however, is that the operation on the glacier has exploded into a full-scale emergency mission as teams race to find anyone still trapped beneath the icy rubble.
At least two medical helicopters were scrambled to the scene within minutes, swooping over the devastation to airlift the injured.
A police helicopter also joined the effort, giving investigators a bird’s-eye view of the avalanche path and helping direct teams on the ground.
Mountain rescue crews from nearby Neustift im Stubai and Sölden were deployed immediately, bringing specialist gear and avalanche dogs trained to sniff out survivors.
They are being reinforced by German soldiers and Polish mountain rescue teams, drafted in to help comb the vast, unstable terrain.
Part of piste 9, a lower section of the run, was hit by the avalanche’s impact and was shut down instantly as a safety precaution.
Search teams say the next few hours will be critical as they continue digging through the dangerous, shifting snow in the desperate hunt for anyone still missing.
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