A Belgian snowboarder, 42, was found dead Sunday afternoon after an avalanche in the region of Obergurgl in the Tyrol. He was snowboarding off the ski trails despite a high avalanche risk.

Earlier in the day, an Austrian was found dead in an avalanche at Schmirntal also in the Tyrol, while a 28-year-old German woman was buried by an avalanche at Koenigsleiten near Salzburg in the centre of the country Saturday and later died in Innsbruck hospital.

A man buried under an avalanche Sunday afternooon at Weisskirchen in the southern Styria region was rescued but remained in a critical condition in hospital.

Searches continued for three hunters who disappeared Thursday in Styria, the APA news agency reported.

Six people escaped without injury following other avalanches across the country, emergency services said.

Authorities said the risk of avalanches was expected to remain at their highest level on a five-point scale for the next few days following snowfalls of four metres (13 feet) in some areas.

Tens of thousands of skiers were expected to hit the slopes this weekend at the beginning of winter holidays. Traffic organisations reported 70 kilometres (45 miles) of tailbacks on motorways Saturday.