“Four people were swept away. Rescuers were able to get to one of them who was taken to hospital in a serious condition,” a spokesman said following the snowslip on the 1,893-metre (6,200 feet) Alpine peak near the commune of Gaming.

Rescuers were still searching for further potential victims hours after the avalanche caught locals unawares given generally clement weather conditions.

Nine people died last month when a spate of avalanches hit the western Tyrol region while December saw three further fatalities.

Recent years have seen avalanches claim around 20 lives a year in Austria, fewer over the past two years after the pandemic vastly reduced skier numbers.