Four of the five men were injured, some seriously, the police said. One of the injured people was now in mortal danger.

The accident therefore occurred after a private party on Saturday night. Shortly after midnight, the men between the ages of 19 and 23 skied down the final slope of a red ski slope in Bürserberg. During the trip, a 21-year-old was thrown from the boat. He remained uninjured.

The remaining men crashed the dinghy into a steel fence near the valley station. The force of the impact caused severe damage to the fence and the inflatable boat tore into two pieces.

According to reports, a 23-year-old was critically injured. A rescue helicopter flew him to a clinic in St. Gallen, Switzerland. A 22-year-old was seriously injured and taken to a hospital in Feldkirch. The two other men suffered minor injuries. According to police, all are now in stable condition. It is unclear whether alcohol was involved.

Skied down a moderately difficult slope

The route is marked as a red piste. These are considered medium difficulty in ski areas and are steeper and more challenging than blue beginner slopes, but easier than black slopes. Those in action included mountain rescue, fire brigade, rescue service, a rescue helicopter from neighboring Liechtenstein as well as Alpine police and federal police.