The Austrian Red Cross said five mountain climbers died today in the Austrian Alps in Wildgerlostal on Mount Gabler, east of Innsbruck, and a sixth climber was severely injured, the Austrian news agency APA reported.
The six were roped together when they fell in a very remote area of the mountain at an altitude of about 2,000 meters.
The lone survivor was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Salzburg and is in stable condition, public broadcaster ORF reported.
Apparently one member of the group slipped and fell on a glacier, bringing the others down with him, the head of the rescue teams, Martin Reichholf, said. The group fell down 200 meters (yards) on a steep slope covered with ice and debris.
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Three Italian mountain climbers also died this weekend, two of them today after falling into a crevasse in the Italian Alps.
The Italian news agency ANSA said one of the crevasse victims had been rescued today in grave condition, but later died.
The accident involved a group of nine mountaineers roped together while climbing on a glacier in Adamello Brenta Park near Trento in northern Italy. All of the climbers, including two 13-year olds, were injured, ANSA reported.
Another Italian climber died yesterday after being hit by boulders in the Valtellina Alpine area, further west of Trento near the border with Switzerland.