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Four people were rescued after being struck by a powerful avalanche while skiing in the Austrian Alps on Christmas Day, December 25, Austrian officials said.

The avalanche occurred at around 3 pm in the Zürs am Arlberg ski area in the western state of Vorarlberg and prompted a search operation involving around 200 personnel and eight helicopters, Austria’s defense ministry said in a press release on Monday.

Early reports indicated that up to 10 people were missing in the snow, but police later confirmed that just four people had been buried and injured, while six others were not caught in the avalanche, the ministry said. One of the four people rescued had sustained serious injuries.

Local ski instructor Stefan Albrecht captured the moment of the avalanche on video and told Storyful he had “never seen such a big avalanche.” Albrecht said he had been skiing with a colleague nearby when the avalanche began. “I immediately decided to make a video…but did not know how bad the avalanche will be,” Albrecht told Storyful.

He and his colleague immediately rushed down to help search for victims, Albrecht said. Rescue crews and helicopters arrived soon after, he added. Credit: Stefan Albrecht via Storyful