2 killed, 8 injured by rockfall in Austrian gorge

BERLIN – Two people have died and eight were injured by a rockfall in an Austrian gorge popular with hikers, officials said Wednesday.

Police in the southeastern region of Styria said a boulder struck a trail in the Baerenschuetzklamm shortly after noon, killing a 50-year-old hiker from Hungary and a 21-year-old from the nearby city of Graz.

One person was seriously injured, while seven others suffered light injuries, police said. Details on the ages and nationalities of the injured were still being compiled, they said.

Michael Miggitsch, who heads the Styria mountain rescue, said first responders had to climb through difficult terrain to reach the injured. The gorge is on a popular hiking route along a picturesque Alpine stream.