Three skiers die in two avalanches in French Alps

Three skiers lost their lives on January 10 in two separate avalanches in the French Alps department of Savoie, authorities confirmed.

The incidents occurred in Arêches-Beaufort and Val-d'Isère, both in off-piste areas, Caliber.Az reports via French media.

In Arêches-Beaufort, a man died while skiing off-piste, according to Jean-Pierre Mirabail, president of the Arêches-Beaufort Mixed Economy Company. Another person who was with him sustained serious head injuries. 

The second avalanche occurred in Val-d'Isère, where two skiers were swept away in an off-piste area known as the Lost Valley, located on the backside of Bellevarde. The victims were buried under approximately 2.5 meters of snow. "The funnel-shaped configuration did not allow skiers to take shelter," a press release from Val-d'Isère Tourism stated.

Members of the victims’ group raised the alarm when the skiers failed to return. Rescuers located the victims using their phones and probed the snow over an area of 10 by 15 meters. The two skiers, who were not equipped with avalanche transceivers, were found in cardiac arrest and could not be revived.

By Khagan Isayev