Avalanche damaged an Austrian town

Associated Press informed that in Tuesday April 22, 2008 around 8.30am GMT a huge avalanche buried a street in a small Austrian town Imst situated near a popular ski resort Soelden (province Tyrol), which hosts top World Cup ski competitions. The street was covered with about four-meter high snow blanket.

In all, a stretch over 100-meter long was piled with snow. Austrian authorities blame heavy rainfalls that took place across the region some two hours before the accident. These downpours could trigger the slide. It is reported that some vehicles could be trapped under snow, but rescue workers believe that there’s no fatalities or victims of avalanche.

Austrian agency that monitors avalanches warns that the risk of snow slides above 1,800-meter higher sea level is still considerable. The alert level now is raised up to three on a five-point-scale.

22.04.2008