Austrians Buoyed by Revival of Boy Saved From Snow
The smile of a resuscitated 4-year-old boy--given up for dead when rescuers found him under a massive snowslide--brought hope and joy to this snow-deluged valley Thursday, even as the death toll from two avalanches rose to 33.
In the western Austrian village of Galtuer, where at least 28 people were killed, scores of rescuers used long metal probes to search for at least three people still believed buried beneath tons of snow.
The 4-year-old Austrian boy was dubbed “the miracle of Valzur” for surviving 100 minutes under the snow in the second of two deadly avalanches.
When rescuers found him late Wednesday, he was frozen and had no circulation. He was rushed to nearby Galtuer, where doctors saved his life by slowly warming him up before sending him to a hospital in the town of Zams.
Twenty-three people, eight of them injured, had been rescued in Galtuer.
The other five confirmed dead were from Valzur, where at least two people were missing. Searches continued Thursday.
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