Unstable snow-laden slopes have killed eight people this week in the Alps. Among the victims were four German winter sports enthusiasts and a British airman training on skis.
A Royal Air Force spokesman said two other servicemen were rescued with minor injuries after they were buried briefly near Oberstdorf in Germany's Allgaeu region. It took an hour to find the third man. Attempts to reanimate him failed.
A large sheet of snow measuring 300 by 400 meters had broken away as 27 personnel on a week-long skiing tour were being led down the Bolgental Valley by instructors.
Even normally adept alpine animals are at risk. On Tuesday an ibex mountain goat triggered an avalanche that swept onto a ski slope in Austria's Lech-Zuer region. Rescuers found only the goat dead in the mass of snow. Mayor Ludwig Muxel told the news agency dpa the incident was unique. "That's never happened before. Ibex are by far the best climbers."
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