Snowboarder loses control going up mountain lift and takes out four skiers
A snowboarder in Austria managed to take out numerous other skiers - with some having to go to hospital - after he lost control of a tow lift and tumbled down a hill.
Footage caught by a fellow visitor to the Austrian ski resort of Kreischberg showed the Hungarian national carefully and steadily making his way up the hill - albeit with a few wobbles along the way.
However, as the lift reaches the steepest point of the snowy hill, the 18-year-old snowboarder loses control and begins to slide down backwards. You can see the clip here:
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He can be seen appearing to struggle as he tries to slow himself but it’s no use and before long he ploughs straight into the first person, knocking them flying, before continuing with his uncontrollable descent.
As he continues down he slams into more unsuspecting skiers, sending people and ski equipment flying everywhere.
Four of those hit ended up requiring hospital treatment, according to local newspaper Kronen Zeitung. Although the extent of their injuries has not been made public - one of the people was flown to the hospital in Friesach by a rescue helicopter.
Following the incident the man, who has not been identified, fled the scene, but was later tracked down by the Alpine Service of the Murau District Police Command.
It's unclear if the man will face any charges over the incident, but police have confirmed an investigation into the incident is ongoing
Last month, an Austrian ski resort was hit with an avalanche, burying 10 skiers.
Authorities launched a search and rescue mission on Christmas Day amid fears that 10 people were buried following an avalanche at the popular Lech Zürs ski resort in the Arlberg region.
Around 200 people were involved in the search, with rescuers requesting head torches so they could continue in the dark. Dogs were also used to help find the missing people.
Lech Zürs tourism director Hermann Fercher added that the search would continue 'all night if we have to'.
A spokesperson for the Lech Zürs ski resort told UNILAD: "On Sunday afternoon at around 14:55, a large avalanche broke loose in the Lech Zürs ski area and buried up to 10 people near the Trittkopf uphillstation.”
Fortunately, all 10 were later found and accounted for by the early hours of the following morning.
In a statement, authorities confirmed all those missing had been recovered and that four had sustained injuries in the incident - the other six had not been affected.
Topics: World News
Claire Reid