Avalanche kills ‘two Brits’ and a third man who were skiing off-piste at Val d’Isere
Two British and three skiers died after being swept away by an avalanche in the luxury resort town of Val d’Isere in the French Alps on Friday.
According to a French report, Piste chief Cedric Bonnevie said one of the victims was French and the other two were British nationals.
He confirmed an investigation had been launched into the tragedy.
The two Britons were part of a group of four skiers accompanied by a professional instructor and were skiing off piste at the time.
All were equipped with avalanche safety equipment, including transceivers, shovels and probes, according to the resort.
Albertville prosecutor Benoît Bachelet said the instructor tested negative for alcohol and drugs.
Bonnevie said one of the victims appeared to have been caught further up the hillside.
The other two were among a group of five people, including a professional guide, and were further down the mountain and had not seen the avalanche approaching.
Three skiers, two of them British, died in an avalanche in the luxury ski resort of Val d’Isere in the French Alps on Friday.
Cedric Bonnevie, who is in charge of the facility’s tracks, told reporters that one of the victims was French and the others were British. Pictured: Stock image of Val-d’Isere
Bonnevie said it was unclear what caused the avalanche.
National weather service Meteo France placed the local area on red alert for avalanche risk on Thursday.
It follows the deaths of two skiers in an avalanche in the French Alps on Monday, following the deaths of two more skiers on a separate slide at the weekend.
A 38-year-old man was killed in Saint-Agnes, near Grenoble, local police said. The skier he was with escaped unharmed.
Local prosecutor Marion Lozac’hmeur said another man in his early 30s was the victim of a ‘very large avalanche’ while skiing in an off-piste area near the village of Montgenevre.
He added that another person who was with the victim was not harmed.
The deaths came after two off-piste ski tourists died in an avalanche in the French Alps on Saturday near Saint-Veran, known as the highest village in the French Alps.
The two victims were part of a group of four unguided skiers when an avalanche hit the north side of the Tete de Longet mountain peak.
So far this season, avalanches have killed at least 20 skiers in the French, Swiss, Italian and Austrian Alps.
It was reported that a British man was among the six skiers who died due to an avalanche in the French Alps last month.
In a statement made by the resort, it was stated that the Englishman, believed to be in his 50s, was skiing off-piste in the La Plagne resort in southeast France.
The facility said that rescue teams received an avalanche warning at 13.57 on January 11 and went to the area immediately.
A team of more than 50 people was called, including paramedics, ski school instructors and a helicopter-deployed piste dog.
The man was found buried under 8 feet of snow 50 minutes later but could not be saved, the facility said.
It was also stated that he was with a group when the avalanche occurred, but he was not equipped with an avalanche transceiver and was not accompanied by a professional instructor.
The Daily Mail previously reported at least 17 deaths on the European slopes between December and January.
