Five skiers killed in devastating avalanches across French Alps

Five skiers were tragically killed in two separate avalanche incidents in the French Alps, with four Norwegian skiers swept away by an avalanche in the southeastern Savoie region, and a Swiss skier perishing in a separate incident near Chamonix, in the Haute-Savoie region.

On January 29, an avalanche occurred in the Val-Cenis area, located on the border with Italy, Caliber.Az reports referring to UK media.

The Norwegian group consisted of seven skiers, including three men and four women. The avalanche caught them off-piste, and four skiers were buried by a large torrent of snow and ice. Despite the use of avalanche beacons, the size of the avalanche was overwhelming. Three skiers, including one man and two women, were killed instantly. A fourth, a woman, was rescued and taken to the hospital in Grenoble but tragically succumbed to severe hypothermia and cardiorespiratory arrest. 

The remaining three skiers survived unscathed. The mayor of Val-Cenis, Jacques Arnoux, confirmed the skiers were using avalanche beacons as part of their off-piste ski touring activities. A team of 10 high-mountain rescue specialists conducted the search and recovery operation, which was complicated due to the size of the avalanche.

In the second incident, a 30-year-old Swiss woman was killed in an avalanche near Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, on January 29. The victim was skiing off-piste on the north face of the Aiguillette des Posettes in the Mont Blanc massif, a popular area for advanced skiers. She was skiing with her father, who was unharmed, and her brother, who suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital for tests.

The group was equipped with avalanche transceivers and anti-avalanche airbags. Despite their precautions, the avalanche struck swiftly, and the skier was buried. Local authorities confirmed that the incident occurred outside the ski area boundaries.

Authorities continue to investigate the exact causes of the avalanches, and avalanche warnings have been issued in several regions of the French Alps as conditions remain dangerous.

By Tamilla Hasanova