US EditionAvalanche in French Alps Kills At Least Six Skiers
- On Sunday, a spate of avalanches killed six skiers across the French Alps, including at La Plagne resort, Courchevel, Vallorcine and Val-d'Isère.
- Météo‑France had warned that heavy snowfall left an unstable snowpack with avalanche danger rated four out of five, and Savoie prefect Vanina Nicoli had strongly discouraged off-piste skiing since Friday.
- After about 50 minutes of searching, a British man aged about 50 at La Plagne was found under 2.5 metres of snow, while a rescue team of about 52 people conducted major operations including at Val-d'Isère and Vallorcine.
- Rescue coordinators reported that by 12.30pm rescue services had been deployed to six avalanches, while around 800 people spent Saturday night in Moûtiers gymnasiums and others were stranded, prompting local officials to urge caution.
- Across the region, Storm Goretti cut power to about 380,000 homes in northern France, brought gusts up to 216 kilometres per hour in the Manche region, and contributed to over 10 weather-related deaths across Europe including Austria's Tyrol.
145 Articles
145 Articles
Avalanches claim six lives in French Alps as danger warnings ignored
A spate of fatal avalanches has struck the French Alps amid persistently unstable snow conditions follow heavy snowfall. This has prompted renewed warnings from the authorities and stark reminders of the dangers of off-piste skiing during periods of high risk.
The Isère PGHM rescue workers intervened several times in the Alps for the second weekend of January, while the risk of avalanches was high.
A total of six skiers died this weekend after being buried by avalanches in the French Alps. All victims were skiing off-piste, despite avalanche warnings. French authorities are warning of unstable snow cover due to recent snowfall. "For your own safety and that of the rescue teams: be extremely careful," police said. "Off-piste skiing is strongly discouraged." Three dead on Sunday: A skier was found buried under snow in Courchevel on Sunday mo…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
