Austria: British Girl Killed In Skiing Accident

A 10-year-old British girl has died after ploughing into a tree during a family skiing holiday in Austria.

She is understood to have been out with her father and brother when she hurtled off the piste into some woods.

The girl was unable to stop and crashed into a tree at Mayrhofen, in the Tirol region, police said.

Police in Mayrhofen said the family was on the last run of the day, on Sunday afternoon, when the accident happened.

A spokesman said: "After the girl lost control, she began to gain speed. She went faster and faster and sped over the edge of the piste and into the woods.

"She then hit the tree and was very badly hurt.

"Her father and brother were behind and they went after her immediately and saw the accident."

She was given first aid by her family before being flown by helicopter to hospital in Innsbruck, where she died on Monday.

The girl, who has not been named, was apparently wearing a helmet.

Her mother had returned to the bottom of the mountain by cable car and did not witness the tragedy.

The slopes around Mayrhofen have been popular with British skiers since the 1970s.

The resort boasts almost 100 miles of pistes and latest snow reports suggest conditions are excellent.