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.
Tragedy Strikes French Alps as Five Skiers Lose Lives in Avalanches
Tragedy Strikes French Alps as Five Skiers Lose Lives in Avalanches
Two separate avalanches in the French Alps result in the deaths of five skiers, including four Norwegians and a Swiss woman.
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.
