5 Czechs, 1 Slovak killed in Austrian Alps avalanche

Police earlier said six Czechs had been buried by the snow.

The avalanche, the deadliest to have struck Austria in nine years, hit the group about 500 metres below the summit of the Schalfkogel, at 3,000 metres (9,850 feet) around 4:15 pm (1415 GMT) on Saturday afternoon.

Mountain rescuers were immediately alerted by witnesses but were unable to get to the scene because of the poor weather.

Rescuers made a fresh attempt by helicopter on Sunday morning and were able to recover the six bodies who were buried under one to 2.50 metres of snow, they told the Austrian news agency APA.

The hikers had set out from the mountain refuge at Hochwilderhaus for Schalfkogel, which is made up of glaciers covered with snow and where there was a heightened risk of avalanches on Saturday after fresh snowfall.