The avalanche deaths occurred in the Val D’Isere resort in the French Alps (pictured). Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Three skiers have been killed by an avalanche at a French ski resort. The avalanche swept away six skiers in all, and the dead include a French national and two UK citizens.
The incident took place on Friday at Val d’Isere, a ski resort located in the French Alps. Two groups of skiers were caught in the slide: a group of four who were accompanied by an instructor, along with two members of another group of five, also with a professional guide, who were further down the mountain. According to the resort, all of the victims had avalanche safety gear, including tranceivers, shovels and probes.
Resort manager Cedric Bonnevie told The Independent that the exact cause of the avalanche is still unclear, but the ski instructor (who was unharmed) tested negative for alcohol or drugs. As The Guardian reports, a manslaughter investigation has been launched by the Albertville public prosecutor’s office and will be carried out by CRS Alpes mountain rescue police.
The incident occurred just after after Storm Nils dumped 24-40 inches of snow on the region. As a result, the national weather service Meteo France issued a day-long red alert for avalanche risk across the southeastern Savoie region and multiple resorts closed all or part of their runs, as the The Sun reports.
The victims add to a mounting death toll across the French, Swiss, Italian and Austrian Alps. Two other skiers were killed in the French Alps Monday, along with two other deaths over the weekend. The Independent reported that avalanches have killed at least 66 people during this European ski season.
