Initially, ten or more persons were initially thought to be missing based on witness video. Eight of those people, according to the news agency DPA, have been identified and are no longer believed to be buried.
At around 3 p.m. local time (1 400 GMT) on Sunday, the avalanche happened on the 2,700-meter (9,000-foot) Trittkopf mountain between Zuers and Lech am Arlberg. Numerous helicopters and search teams were soon after reported to have been sent, according to local media.
The search involved over 200 persons. According to the Austrian Press Agency, rescuers asked for headlamps so they could continue the search in the dark.
As a member of the Alpine skiing cradle and “one of the top ski areas in the world,” Lech/Zuers presents itself as such.
The ski area was shut down as of 5 p.m. local time on Sunday, according to the resort’s website, and skiing conditions would be updated at 8 a.m. on Monday.
It was impossible to speak with a resort spokesman right away for comment.