Young Dutch skiers rescued by helicopter
Two Dutch boys aged 13 and 14 were rescued by helicopter as darkness was falling yesterday (Sun) near Loser in Styrias Liezen district.The boys were skiing off piste down to the valley floor when they became stranded at 4pm in a steep, rocky area at an elevation of 1,400 metres and called rescuers.In another incident yesterday, a 55-year-old man from Thörl in Styrias Bruck/Mur district was injured when he ran into a tree at the Aflenzer Bürgeralm ski area in Styria.Rescuers transported the man by sledge down to the valley floor, and a rescue helicopter took him to Graz provincial hospital for treatment.In an earlier incident, four Dutch skiers were rescued a week ago yesterday evening after becoming lost near the Grießenkareck skiing area close to Wagrain in Salzburgs Pongau district.Police said today one of the members of the group had called rescuers at 8pm to say they were lost and could not go on.Twelve rescuers found the skiers at 10pm at an altitude of 1,420 metres and escorted them down to the valley floor. One skier had to be hospitalised for treatment of a suspected case of hypothermia.Police said rescuers had been able to find the lost skiers quickly because they had provided them with the coordinates of their location.