Dutch prince passes away after year in coma

Dutch Prince Johan Friso has died after a year and a half in a coma following an accident at an Austrian ski resort.

Prince Friso, who was 44, was hit by an avalanche in February 2012 and remained buried for 15 minutes. He was moved from hospital in London back to the Netherlands last month, but had since suffered complications.

 "Prince Friso has died of complications related to the hypoxic brain injury, which he suffered as the result of his skiing accident in Lech, Austria on 17 February 2012," the royal palace said, adding he died in The Hague.

BBC reported his wife, Princess Mabel, spent her 45th birthday on Sunday at his bedside.

The prince had been skiing off-piste with friends in Lech when the avalanche struck.

An emergency beeper he was wearing enabled rescuers to find him but medical officials in Innsbruck said it took some time to revive him and he suffered "massive" brain damage. They said he had suffered a heart attack lasting some 50 minutes.

He was later flown to London for treatment at the private Wellington Hospital, which has a specialist neurological unit.

He was eventually discharged in July 2013 but remained in a "state of minimal consciousness".

At the time, officials said he would spend the summer with his family at the royal palace in The Hague, with medical treatment provided by a specialist team.

The prince's death had been unexpected, Dutch correspondents told BBC, not least because the king had been away on holiday with his family.