AVALANCHE DISASTER

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 5 January 1927, Page 5

AVALANCHE DISASTER

TWO PARTIES OVERWHELMED THREE PEOPLE RESCUED STORY ,BY EYE-WITNESS. 1 BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. LONDON, Jan. 3. An Englishman, an English woman, atnd a German were extricated alive from the Zui'es avalanche. Two bodies , have not been recovered. The avalanche descended from Valjuga Mountain and was roughly half a mile long and from 20 to 25 feet wide. Two parties of English and German ski-ers were about a- third of a mile apart when watchers in the valley saw a wall of isnow descending upon them, caused by the warm south wind. The ski-ers were nearing the summit of Y alluga (6000 ft.) when the first avalanche swept them off their feet. The second, 800 yard® long and 50 yards wide, immediately engulfed both groups, some to a depth of 30 feet. The noise of the falling rocks, stones. snow and ice terrified the inhabitants for miles around. One of the I'escuers, all of whom were forced to wear skis, says that he first saw the ski of an Englishwoman protruding from the snow and pulled her out, suffering from concussion. Nearbv the arm of a German. was also visibe. and he was res- \ cued. Thereafter it was guesswork to locate the engulfed people. VIENNA, Jan. 4. The details of the avalanche disaster in the Tyrol have- created a sensation throughout Europe. A bank clerk, the only eye-witness, states that tentmy figures could be seen climbing the Trittkoff. when the mountain side seemed bo move, and a huge mass of snow fell like a waterfall with the noise of thunder, on a front of half a mile. He involunturilv closed hi.s eyes. When he opened them the ten figures had vanished, and the configuration of the mountain side had completely changed. If the English par tv had been given a couple of minutes it could have she - tered behind a large rock. As it was, a human hand protruding from the snow was the only clue to the scene of the disaster. Later, a tip of a ski led to the rescuers’ saving Mary Woodward. She was badlv bruised about the body, and was suffering from shock, but*she is likely to recover. The party made the mistake of going without a guide.