Three skiers, including two British men, died Friday after an avalanche struck the popular Val d’Isere ski resort in the French Alps, according to local officials. The tragic incident underscores the extreme dangers present in the mountains amid unusually heavy snowfall.
Avalanche Claims Lives in French Alps
A sudden snowslide in southeastern France has left authorities investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three skiers.
- The avalanche occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time (10:30 a.m. UK time) on Friday.
- The victims included two British men and one French national.
- Authorities had issued a red avalanche warning for the Savoie region due to significant snowfall.
- Off-piste skiing was “strongly discouraged” due to the high avalanche risk.
The snowslide hit the village in the French Alps at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time (10:30 a.m. in the United Kingdom), officials reported. The French national was skiing alone on a high mountain slope when the avalanche swept him away, stated Cedric Bonnevie, a spokesperson for the resort’s slope management department.
The two British men were part of a group of five skiers and a professional instructor. They were skiing lower on the mountain and did not see the approaching avalanche, Bonnevie added. Reports indicate the group was skiing off-piste, an activity that the resort’s website explicitly “strongly discouraged” due to a “very high avalanche risk.”
While some reports suggested six skiers were caught in the avalanche, officials have not confirmed this number. Meteo-France attributed the heightened risk to “very heavy snowfall” in the Alps, which has created “exceptional avalanche conditions,” with accumulations of 60 to 100 centimeters of fresh snow.
The avalanche risk level on Friday was four out of five “across the vast majority” of the Alpine ranges, according to Meteo-France. “Avalanches are therefore easily triggered by skiers or hikers and can move very large volumes of snow. Extreme caution is advised for all mountain activities outside of marked trails,” the agency warned.
An investigation into the cause of the disaster is underway, according to Mr. Bonnevie. The Foreign Office confirmed the deaths of the two British men, stating they are “aware of an accident in which two British men have died in France.”
“We are in contact with the local authorities and stand ready to offer consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the Foreign Office added.
