GETTY Austria's New Year's celebrations were plagued by violence and sex assaults

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Vienna’s emergency services were inundated with calls across the country as reports of multiple sex attacks emerged, reportedly committed by dark-haired men with beards. A total of 19 sex attacks were reported across Austria, including 11 incidents in the city of Innsbruck in Tyrol. The majority of the women are aged between 19 and 25. Chief Inspector Ernst Kranebitter said the women reported being harassed by groups of up to 10 men.

The women claim the men encircled them and grabbed at their breasts and groin. Among the alleged victims are four local women and a fifth from other Austrian city, three italians, two Germans and a Swiss. Two women, who claimed they were attacked, said they took photos of the men on their mobile phones.

GETTY Police in Cologne attempted to prevent a repeat of the city's 2015 sex attacks

Vienna’s emergency services were inundated with calls across the country as reports of multiple sex attacks emerged

But the quality of the pictures are said to be too dark and blurry. There is also private CCTV footage but this too is unusable. A police spokesman said: “We have videos of poor quality but we are trying to make the most of them.” The women say the the group of attackers were under the age of 30 and had a “southern appearance” - a term used to describe men of North African origin.

GETTY German police have warned the attacks were planned

The men were also described as “foreign", with some missing teeth and sporting beards. Ch Insp Kranebitter said: “This has never happened to us before. “It has definitely been proved that the men are foreign. We are investigating.” A police spokesman said it is likely the men “had a system”, much like the sickening Cologne sex attacks, after they targeted women who appeared to be alone or were dancing by themselves.

Cologne: Sex Attacks and Robberies Tue, January 12, 2016 Thirty-one suspects, including 18 asylum seekers, are under investigation over offences including sexual assault and theft in Cologne on New Year's Eve. Far right protestors in Lepzig have rallied against refugees and German chancellor Angela Merkel. Play slideshow Reuters•Getty 1 of 22 Protestors in Lepzig rally after over 100 women were sexually assualted on New Year's Eve

They believe the attacks were carried out by the same group of men. The attacks, which took place between 11.30pm and 1.30am in Marktplatz, come after police distributed 6,000 rape alarms in an aim to chase away potential aggressors. Chaos again erupted in Germany during New Year’s Eve celebrations, despite heightened security due to terror fears. In Hamburg, 14 women were the victims of sex attacks, as more than 45,000 people welcomed in a New Year in the city.

Police said the suspected attackers grabbed their victim’s crotches. A further four women claimed they were sexually assaulted in the city of Salzburg. A 31-year-old German woman said she was harassed by a drunk 18-year-old asylum seeker who repeatedly tried to kiss her and grab her between her legs. The alleged victim’s friends managed to push him away and he was later arrested and questioned by police, who say he appeared disorientated and confused.

GETTY in Hamburg, 14 women say they were attacked