Five off-piste skiers have died in two avalanches in Austria's Alps following heavy snowfall in the region.
An avalanche hit a group of seven skiers in the Pongau area near Salzburg, killing four and seriously injuring one on Saturday, local mountain rescue officials said.
A similar avalanche swept away a skier in the same area earlier in the day.
Poor conditions have led to the recent deaths of a number of people in the Alps over the last week.
In the latest incidents, the mountain rescue service said it was alerted around 14:00 local time (13:00 GMT).
Four people were found dead, while another suffered serious injuries, they reported.
Around an hour and a half before, a female skier was buried by an avalanche in open alpine terrain near the same area.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is, said Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service.
Further avalanches were recorded in the Pongau region around midday, but no-one was injured.
In related incidents, a 13-year-old Czech boy was killed by an avalanche while skiing in Bad Gastein earlier this week.
Last Sunday, a 58-year-old skier lost his life in an avalanche in Weerberg, a Tyrolean resort.
Additionally, a German man was killed in an avalanche in Switzerland, where four others were injured while cross-country skiing on Friday.
Last weekend in France, six skiers also perished due to avalanches in various Alpine resorts.
