In brief
In a tragic turn of events, five skiers were killed in two separate avalanches that struck the picturesque French Alps on Wednesday. The first incident occurred in Val-Cenis, located in the south-eastern Savoie region, where a large avalanche claimed the lives of four Norwegian skiers—three of whom were killed instantly, and a fourth female victim who later succumbed to severe hypothermia and cardiac arrest at a local hospital. They were part of a larger group of seven avid skiers and were equipped with avalanche beacons while engaging in off-piste skiing, which poses significantly increased risks as it involves areas that are not specifically marked or maintained for winter sports.
Jacques Arnoux, the mayor of Val-Cenis, mentioned the avalanche was substantial and triggered beyond the designated ski areas. Rescue efforts were mobilized swiftly, and a specialized team of 10 mountain rescue experts was dispatched to manage the situation. Further north, in the Haute-Savoie region near Chamonix, a Swiss skier—a 30-year-old woman—also lost her life in a separate avalanche incident. She was skiing with her brother, who was hospitalized for medical evaluations, alongside their father who remained unharmed. The trio had safety equipment including anti-avalanche airbags, but they too were skiing off-piste in the renowned Mont Blanc massif mountain range. This recent series of deadly events follows another tragic avalanche on Tuesday in which a 55-year-old Brazilian-Portuguese skier was killed, underscoring the perilous nature of off-piste skiing in the region.
