Val Veny, Italy: Two dead, one fighting for life after being crushed by huge avalanche at ski resort
An avalanche in Val Veny, part of the Courmayeur ski resort in northwestern Italy, killed two skiers and left one in critical condition.
Three men skiing off-piste on Courmayeur’s popular freeride route Couloir Vesses on Sunday morning were caught in an avalanche around 11 a.m. local time.
One person died at the scene and one person died on the way to the hospital. The third person was seriously injured and was transferred to Le Molinette Hospital in Turin.
15 rescuers, three dogs and two helicopters belonging to Valdostan Alpine Rescue and Guardia di Finanza were used in the search and rescue operation.
The identities and nationalities of the victims have not yet been disclosed.
Courmayeur is located approximately 200 km northwest of Milan, one of the host venues for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Aosta Valley, where Val Veny is located, is currently at three out of five on the avalanche warning scale.
It comes after a record number of skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains last week. Thirteen people died, 10 of whom died due to avalanche
Italy’s Alpine rescue teams said fresh snowfall and windblown snowpack during recent storms had created particularly risky conditions along the Alpine crescent bordering France, Switzerland and Austria.
Accordingly AP NewsFederico Catania, spokesman for the Italian Alpine Rescue Association, said: “Under these conditions, the passage of a single skier or the natural overload caused by the weight of the snow may be sufficient to trigger an avalanche.”
About a month ago, three skiers were killed in separate avalanches in the French Alps.
A British man died after being buried under snow at La Plagne ski resort in France. An extensive search team found the man 50 minutes later; He could not be resurrected.
Another person was caught in an avalanche and found dead in nearby Courcheval.
Near the Swiss border, a 32-year-old man also died in Vallocrine when an avalanche crashed him into a tree.
More than 60 people have died so far during Europe’s ski season.
