 Blons, Austria. | |
| Date | 11 January 1954 |
|---|---|
| Time | 9:36am and 7:00pm |
| Location | Blons, Austria |
| Coordinates | 47.216 9.816 |
| Cause | Avalanches |
| Deaths | 125 |
The Blons avalanches took place in Austria in January 1954.[1] They occurred in the federal state of Vorarlberg, where they had a big impact on the Great Walser Valley region and specifically, the village of Blons.[2] The avalanches occurred over a two-day period beginning from 11 January 1954 and resulted in the death of 125 people, 57 of whom were killed specifically in Blons.[1] Two big avalanches struck Blons within 9 hours, the second of which buried rescue workers who were attempting to save civilians from the first avalanche.[2][3] The avalanches caused much destruction to the Blons village, damaging one third of housing infrastructure and killing one third of the population.[1] The Blons avalanches are considered to be one of the worst mass burials in Austrian history, resulting in one of the highest number of fatalities due to an avalanche.[3][4]
- ^ a b c Drexel, A.,ggd G., & Kessler, J. (2018). Blons in Vorarlberg, Austria- 60 Years Sustainable Avalanche Protection: Experience, Setbacks and Lessons Learned (pp. 1-8). Retrieved from https://arc.lib.montana.edu/snow-science/objects/ISSW2018_P03.5.pdf
- ^ a b RECCO. (2014). The White Death: An avalanche disaster from 1954. Retrieved 23 April 2020, from https://reccoprofessionals.wordpress.com
- ^ a b Holler, P. (2016). The Most Disastrous Avalanche Events in Austria since 1946/7(pp. 410-412). Retrieved from https://arc.lib.montana.edu/snow-science/objects/ISSW16_O18.01.pdf
- ^ Davis, L. (2008). Natural Disasters (p. 7). New York: Infobase Publishing.