Three skiers died in the tragic incident at the Val-d’Isère ski area.
Three skiers died after a huge avalanche hit a popular ski resort in the French Alps.
Two Brits and a French skier were killed in the Val-d’Isère area, the resort’s tourist office confirmed. The avalanche struck at around 11.30am this morning, Friday, February 13, sweeping six skiers away in an off-piste area of the Manchet Valley, according to the Albertville prosecutor’s office.
The French skier who died was skiing alone, while the other five people were part of a group accompanied by an instructor. “The two other deceased and the injured person are British nationals. They belonged to a group of five skiers accompanied by an instructor. The instructor is unharmed,” said prosecutor Benoît Bachelet, reports the Mirror.
The injured British skier was taken to Bourg-Saint-Maurice after managing to escape despite initially being buried under the snow. A probe into the incident has been opened.
The Val-d’Isère tourist office offered “sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims” and urged skiers to stick to secure, marked areas of the resort. It noted that the avalanche risk had been rated 4 out of 5 this morning.
The Savoie prefecture issued a warning on X, advising against “off-piste activities, ski touring and snowshoeing” and urging “mountain enthusiasts to strictly comply with the instructions given by professionals and the safety services of the slopes”.
Storm Nils brought very heavy snowfall as it swept through France yesterday, with 60 to 100 cm of fresh snow recorded, according to France’s weather service Météo France. The forecaster had placed Savoie under red avalanche warning for the whole day and several ski resorts in the Alps closed fully or partially.
Météo France service warned the snowpack would be “very unstable” in Savoie today, especially above 1800–2000 m altitude”. “Avalanches can therefore be easily triggered by a skier or hiker and may mobilise very large volumes of snow,” it said.
Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE