Child Rescued from Avalanche in Kosovo
A child was rescued overnight Saturday after an avalanche buried a house under 33 feet of snow in Kosovo.
The avalanche buried the town of Restelica, destroying several homes and killing at least nine people as of Sunday. At least one other person is believed to be missing.
Rescue workers were able to locate the five-year-old girl from her submerged home after officers heard her voice and a ringing cellular phone.
Both of the girl's parents were killed by the avalanche.
The child is reported to be recovering at a hospital in the nearby town of Prizren. She is not suffering any life threatening injuries.
"The mountain areas close to Kosovo are currently reporting 50 inches (1.27 meters) of snow on the ground," said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Evan Duffey.
"There have been breaks in the storm systems as they passed through the area. This kind of snowfall sets up the ideal conditions for avalanches," Duffey said.
Snow falls and is able to settle and form a crust on top. As more snow falls, it builds up layers of fresh snow. The fresh snow is able to easily slide off of the layer it is sitting on, causing an avalanche.
"There has only been some light snow falling over the area for the past 24 hours," Duffey said.
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past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
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| Low | 15° | Sunset Crater, AZ |
| Precip | 3.99" | Wadena, MN |
WeatherWhys®
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