This service station and the homes behind it were engulfed by a deadly avalanche, which hit the resort of St Anton in March 1988.

"It was a sound like I have never heard...like great bombs falling," a local woman told UPI. "There was nothing to be seen, but several seconds later the windows burst open and snow began pouring in."

Thousands of skiers, including the former Dutch queen Princess Juliana, were left stranded in neighbouring resorts. Britain's Prince – now King – Charles narrowly escaped death when an avalanche hit the Swiss resort of Klosters the week before.

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Floods, fire and quakes: archive photos show homes that lost the fight with Mother Nature