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In February 1999, 3000 holidaymakers were enjoying the skiing in the picturesque Austrian Alpine resort of Galtür when a series of freak weather conditions turned the town from a playground into a place of terror. An avalanche, consisting of 100,000 tonnes of snow travelling faster than a Ferrari, tore down the mountainside and descended upon the town. It was the worst Alpine disaster in living memory.
Planning a skiing jaunt this winter? You could really regret leaving this behind ...
The worst avalanche event recorded killed 240 people and trapped 45,000 in January 1951. Heavy rains in the Alps caused a series of avalanches in French, Swiss and Italian resorts. The Swiss town of Andermatt suffered six avalanches in one hour, killing 13 people.
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