Avalanche claims at least one life in the Austrian Alps

(Patria) - At least one person has died and four have been rescued after an avalanche in the Ötztal Alps in western Austria.

A major search and rescue operation is underway, the BBC reports.

Austrian reports speak of a snow slide 180 metres long and 80 metres wide near the village of Vent, close to the Italian border in the province of Tyrol.

According to initial information, there were 18 people in the area at the time of the avalanche. They are part of a group engaged in winter sports.

However, not all were caught by the avalanche, which occurred at an altitude of 2,500 metres.

Police spokesman Bernd Noggler told the BBC that helicopters, rescue teams, dog teams and alpine police have been dispatched to the scene.

He warned that the risk of further avalanches is very high, so rescuers are proceeding with great caution.

Rising temperatures in Tyrol have increased the avalanche danger. Earlier this week, a 19-year-old German hiker was caught in an avalanche near Lake Achensee, northeast of Innsbruck.