Earth is probably hinting that it needs to be cleansed of people. Against the backdrop of earthquakes that shook a number of countries around the world, it became known that avalanches covered people in mountain resorts.

In particular, during the weekend, avalanches killed at least 11 people. The death toll may be higher, because the weather interferes with search and rescue operations.

Where the tragedies happened

Authorities and rescuers in Austria, Italy and Switzerland have said heavy snow and wind have increased the danger to skiers. Consequently, Austria declared the highest level of alert over the weekend. Austrian Interior Ministry spokesman Patrick Maierhofer said the weekend was “very intense for the Austrian police”.

Eight people are known to have died in avalanches in Austria between 3 and 5 February. Among the victims were tourists from China, Germany and New Zealand. In addition, an Austrian skier and his guide fell under the avalanche. Despite the fact that the rescuers managed to find their location relatively quickly, the search had to be stopped due to bad weather, so the bodies were found the very next day.

At the same time, in northern Italy, a 31-year-old German woman died during an avalanche near the Limo Pass. Later, the woman's body was found under 3 meters of snow. The helicopter was unable to help rescuers due to wind gusts up to 120 kilometers per hour.

In addition, the Swiss police confirmed that two 50-year-old skiers died during an avalanche.

The Austrian Foreign Ministry asks climbers to be especially careful, especially in open places prone to avalanches avalanches.

Other catastrophes in the world

• A number of powerful earthquakes have occurred in southern Turkey and northern Syria. As of 4:21 p.m., the total death toll in Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 2,339. The media wrote that more than 8,000 people were injured.
• An earthquake occurred on this day in Kazakhstan. It is noted that the epicenter of the earthquake is located 628 kilometers west of Almaty, between the settlements of Akshiganak and Temirlan. Seismologists determined that the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4, and the depth of the source reached 5 km.
• The tremors were also felt in Georgia, Israel, Lebanon and Cyprus.
• Moreover, the earthquake happened in western New York. It is noted that its magnitude has reached 3.8.