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Parts of Europe 'snowed in' as avalanches push cold-weather deaths to 16

Several people have been killed in avalanches as freezing conditions look set to continue until Friday.

Thursday 10 January 2019 12:37, UK

A snow plough clears the A9 highway in Garching, southern Germany
Image: A snow plough clears the A9 highway in Garching, southern Germany
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Parts of Austria and southern Germany have been cut off by heavy snow as freezing weather looks set to continue across Europe until Friday.

On Wednesday, a 16-year-old boy from Australia was killed by an avalanche as he was skiing with his family in St Anton in Austria.

In Slovakia, mountain rescue said a 37-year-old Slovak man was also killed by an avalanche in the Mala Fatra mountains.

The deaths bring the number killed in weather-related incidents across Europe this week to at least 16.

A picturesque scene near Goestling, Austria, but conditions on the mountains are hazardous
Image: A picturesque scene near Goestling, Austria
A chairlift on Skrzyczne mountain in Szczyrk, Poland
Image: A chairlift on Skrzyczne mountain in Szczyrk, Poland

A woman who was buried by an avalanche last week in Switzerland died of her injuries on Saturday, and three more skiers have also lost their lives to avalanches in Austria.

The entire Hochkar skiing area in lower Austria was closed on Monday and roads remain closed in many areas.

Galtuer in western Austria - the site of an avalanche that killed 31 people in 1999 - was also shut.

More on Austria

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Sow covers a Jesus Christ figure near Szczyrk, Poland
Image: Sow covers a Jesus Christ figure near Szczyrk, Poland
A train got stuck in the snow on the Brocken mountain in the Harz region of Germany
Image: A train got stuck in the snow in the Harz region of Germany

Austrian authorities have warned skiers not to go off the slopes and not to drive unless necessary.

Several railway lines in the Alps were closed, trucks and cars got stuck for hours, and schools were closed in parts of Bavaria in Germany.

A man removes snow from a road during heavy snowfall in Eisenerz, Austria
Image: A man in Eisenerz, Austria, tries to clear the snow
Jenins, Switzerland
Image: Driving conditions are hazardous in many areas - such as here in Jenins, Switzerland

Around 9,000 homes In the Czech Republic were also without electricity on Thursday after heavy snow in areas bordering Germany and Austria.

Meanwhile, rail workers in Austria dug out a mountain goat that had been completely buried by snow.

They say the animal was transfixed by an oncoming train and didn't move away from the tracks as it passed.

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Greece has been particularly cold, freezing in temperatures as low as -23C (-9F) as some of Athens' most famous monuments got a dusting of snow.

Greek officials have said the conditions have led to three deaths, and some people have been trapped in their homes or cars by heavy snowfall.

The scene in Artemida, east of Athens
Image: The scene in Artemida, east of Athens
A woman walks at Athens central Filippapou hill overlooking the ancient Acropolis, after a snowfall over the Greek capital
Image: A woman walks on a hill overlooking the ancient Acropolis in Athens

The UK could also be experiencing cold weather towards the end of January, if early European predictions are correct.

Forecasters have said the same weather pattern which sparked last year's "Beast from the East", bringing freezing temperatures and heavy snow, could return.

But any cold front will come after unseasonably warm weather, with some parts of the country experiencing double figure temperatures this weekend.

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