Dutch prince hospitalised after Austrian avalanche

Dutch Prince Johan Friso was admitted to a hospital after he was rescued from under an avalanche in western Austria Friday.  

According to the Dutch government information service RVD, the Dutch prince was in critical but stable condition after being buried by an avalanche in western Austria, Xinhua reported. 

The accident happened in Litzen-Zugertobel, near the town of Lech, where the 43-year-old prince was skiing outside the regular piste, or a path down a mountain for snow skiing. He was buried under an avalanche shortly after noon while his fellow skiers were unharmed.

The prince could be saved by a rescue team after 15 minutes. He was resuscitated at the scene and then transported by helicopter to a hospital in Innsbruck, according to media reports. He was under an intensive care unit, said reports.

Johan Friso is the second son of Queen Beatrix and the late Prince Claus and the younger brother of Willem-Alexander, heir to the throne.  The Dutch royal family owns a holiday house in Lech and goes there regularly for skiing holidays. It has snowed heavily in the Austrian Alps in the past few days with an increased danger of avalanches.