Rescue workers recovered three bodies in the Alps in northern Italy on Friday morning. On Thursday, the victims were killed in an avalanche in the Aosta Valley region, near the French border.
Three participants will be interested in a mountain guide training course. The bodies were taken to the city of Aosta for identification. The course leader managed to free himself and raise the alarm. He is in the hospital, but his condition is not serious. Rescue teams were unable to reach the site of the avalanche on Thursday due to bad weather.
The most dangerous avalanche in France in years
On Sunday, six people were killed in an avalanche in France near Mont Blanc. It was one of the most dangerous avalanches in France in years. It is likely that all six were hikers, two of whom were mountain guides.
The avalanche occurred around midday in the Armancette Glacier east of Annecy, close to the border with Italy. The walking group didn’t stand a chance. According to official figures, the avalanche had a width of 500 meters and descended 1,600 meters vertically.
Last Saturday in Switzerland, a group of skiers ended up under an avalanche. Nine of them were taken to hospital. Their nationality is unknown.
A total of 87 people died in the 2022-2023 winter sports season, according to figures from the European Avalanche Warning Service (EAWS). This is still less than last year, when 70 people fell into an avalanche and died. On average, 84 people die from an avalanche each season.
Meteorologist Roosmarijn Knol from Weerplaza explained on Sunday that due to the changing winter sports season, there is a big difference between the different layers of snow. As a result, avalanches may occur much earlier. “There is a greater chance of snow sliding. If a large three-meter block of snow falls at once and remains cold afterwards, the chance is much lower.”
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