VIENNA, Jan 23 (AFP) - An American skier was reported missing Sunday following avalanches in western Austria that also killed three people and injured four others, police said.
At Sankt Anton, 500 kilometers (300 miles) west of Vienna, a massive avalanche on Saturday swept away a group of four Canadian skiers along with their Austrian instructor and another group of four Americans following them on an off-piste trail.
Police said two Canadians and an American were among the dead, while another American was reported missing and two of the Canadians were injured.
At Gargellen, 100 kilometers further to the west, two Germans were injured.
Austrian meteorologists had been warning in recent days of increased danger of avalanches due to heavy snowfall and relatively high temperatures.
Across the border in Switzerland, several skiers and snowboarders emerged unscathed from a series of avalanches that struck across the country's Alpine range on Saturday.
01/23/2005 16:19 GMT - AFP