A New Zealand teenager killed in an avalanche in Austria has been named as 17-year-old skiing champion Will Cookson.
Local news agency APA said the incident happened in west Austria on Saturday, the New Zealand Herald reports.
At least 10 people are dead after a series of avalanches across the Austrian and Swiss Alps over the weekend, with an Australian tourist among those found alive.
APA reported the teenager, from Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island, was alone in the open ski area at about 12.15pm when the avalanche swept through.
However, the exact details of the tragedy have not been officially confirmed.
One source said Mr Cookson was “not skiing alone, nor in an open ski area”.
They said he was with a small group of New Zealanders “abiding the current safety rules”.
“It was a horrible event,” the source said.
The teenager was described as “an amazing young man and talented skier”.
“He will be missed by many,” the source told the Herald.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement it was aware of reports of people killed in avalanches in Austria and Switzerland, but could not provide further information due to privacy reasons.
Snow Sports New Zealand could not comment on the death this morning.
The teenager’s family has declined to comment.
Mr Cookson grew up in the wider Canterbury area and attended school in Christchurch.
The Herald has learned he began competing in skiing when he was just nine and quickly began ranking in national competitions.
Described as an “outstanding skier”, he had a goal of finding a top coach to “take him to the next level internationally” and “ultimately compete on the world circuit with his skiing and snowboarding heroes”.
Last year he was honoured at his high school for his skiing success.
The teenager’s death comes after a series of avalanches in Austria since Friday.
In Vorarlberg, a 55-year-old German winter sports enthusiast missing since Friday evening was found dead under an avalanche.
Meanwhile, a 32-year-old Chinese skier died in an avalanche in Ötztal on Friday.
Other victims were rescued alive, including a 37-year-old Australian woman who had been swept away and buried in snow up to her neck.
This article originally appeared on the New Zealand Herald and was reproduced with permission