Dutch prince in critical condition after avalanche rescue

Feb 17, 2012, 18:51 GMT

Vienna - The second son of Dutch Queen Beatrix was in critical but stable condition Friday after he was buried under an avalanche while skiing in Austria, the Dutch royal house confirmed.

Prince Friso, 43, was resuscitated and brought to a clinic in Innsbruck, according to a royal statement.

'At this moment he is in a stable situation but his life is still in danger,' the family said on its website.

The prince suffered injuries to the head and brain, Austrian public broadcaster ORF said, citing unnamed sources close to the clinic.

Queen Beatrix and the Prince's wife Mabel Wisse Smit, who were also vacationing in the ski resort village of Lech in Western Austria, went to the clinic.

Prince Friso, 43, had been skiing outside the regular slope areas at the resort of Lech with a friend when the mass of snow hit him, Lech mayor Ludwig Muxel told dpa. He was buried under 40 centimetres of snow for around 20 minutes, he said.

Avalanche experts had put out a warning that there was a high avalanche risk in the area around Lech.

'That means that avalanches can go off spontaneously,' Muxel told ORF. 'It is of course a special decision whether you go into the free skiing area,' he said.

Rescuers were able to find the prince because he was carrying an avalanche transceiver. His friend was wearing a special air bag designed to lift skiers above the snow.

Prince Friso is the younger brother of crown prince Willem-Alexander, but he is no longer part of the succession line since he married a commoner.

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