Three Czech nationals were killed on Saturday afternoon after an avalanche struck near Pusterwald in the Austrian region of Styria, police confirmed.

The accident occurred shortly before 4:30 pm during a ski tour in the area.

Four other members of the group were rescued and evacuated to safety by emergency services.

At the time of the incident, the avalanche danger level in the Pusterwald area was rated two out of five, indicating a moderate risk.

Despite the classification, mountain rescue authorities have repeatedly warned that local conditions can change rapidly, particularly at higher elevations.

The Pusterwald tragedy came only days after another fatal avalanche involving a Czech teenager in Austria.

Earlier in the week, a 13-year-old Czech boy was killed while skiing off-piste near the Alpine resort of Bad Gastein. The incident occurred around midday when a sudden snow slide swept the teenager away.

He was skiing with another minor at the time.

Rescue teams reached the boy quickly, but despite intensive efforts, they were unable to revive him, according to local mountain rescue officials.

Authorities later stressed that off-piste skiing carries heightened risks, especially following recent snowfall and shifting snowpack conditions.

Austrian rescue services have described the current avalanche situation across several alpine regions as unstable, urging skiers and ski tourers to exercise extreme caution and to closely follow official avalanche warnings.

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