Avalanche Strikes Hotel in the Swiss Alps, Injuring Guests

An avalanche injured several people when it crashed into a hotel in Switzerland on Thursday afternoon.

According to The Local, the snowslide hit the restaurant of the Hotel Säntis in Schwägalp in the Swiss Alps around 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET).

Authorities reported that multiple people required medical treatment as a result and that police and rescue services were turning their attention to searching for people who might be missing in the aftermath.

An unidentified eyewitness told the regional daily newspaper St. Galler Tagblatt that he and his wife were seated by a window in the hotel restaurant when snow began swirling.

“Then there was a huge noise and snow piled into the back of the restaurant,” he said, adding that there were only a few people inside when the avalanche struck.

The man said one person suffered an arm injury while another had to be dug out of the snow.

The Alps in eastern Switzerland where Hotel Säntis is located have experienced anywhere from 20 to 35 inches of snow over the past three days, The Local reported, citing the SRF Meteo.

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