A 49-year-old Austrian man and an unidentified young skier collided on Saturday
The fatal incident occurred on the Austrian Alps(Image: Getty/Stock)
An Irish teenager has been questioned by police in Austria after leaving the scene of a fatal skiing incident over the weekend.
On Saturday, January 24, a 49-year-old Austrian man and an unidentified young skier collided in the Schmittenhöhe ski area in Zell am See at around 3:15pm.
The cause of the collision is still unknown. Despite emergency medical treatment, the 49-year-old man from Pinzgau succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The second youth involved, who witnesses described as being around 15 or 16 years old and speaking English, fled the scene after a blonde woman removed him from the site.
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Witnesses who were on the scene immediately after the collision and provided first aid reported that the fleeing youth also appeared to have sustained an injury to his right inner thigh in the collision.
The crime scene investigation and search for the fugitive were carried out by the Alpine Police Unit and a police drone pilot.
During the evidence collection at the accident site, the Alpine Police recovered rental ski poles, brand Komperdell, 120 cm long, from the company Bründl Sports, which belonged to the fleeing skier.
Following a public appeal for witnesses and assistance in the search for the second person involved in the fatal skiing incident, a 14-year-old Irish tourist and his family contacted the police.
A spokesperson for the Austrian Police told the Irish Mirror the investigation and questioning are ongoing.
The Salzburg public prosecutor’s office ordered the involvement of an alpine expert to investigate the cause of the incident and an autopsy of the deceased to determine the cause of death.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs told the Irish Mirror: “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of reporting on a skiing accident in the Alps. Its officials, including those in Embassy Vienna, stand ready to provide consular assistance to Irish citizens that request it.”
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