Mother and son die in avalanche accident
Two fatal accidents occur in the French Alps within the space of a few hours. At the foot of Mont Blanc, a group is surprised by a snow avalanche. A mother and her son are killed. Further south, a hiker falls to his death.
Three people lost their lives in accidents in the French Alps on Thursday. Two people were fatally hit by an avalanche in the Mont Blanc massif, according to the French authorities. A hiker fell in the Ecrins massif south-east of Grenoble.
The avalanche accident occurred in the early afternoon near the Saint-Gervais-les-Bains ski resort, according to the authorities of the Haute-Savoie department. The masses of snow came loose at an altitude of around 2,300 meters and swept eight people who were skiing off-piste 400 meters away. Two people were killed, a third was slightly injured and the others were unharmed. An investigation into the circumstances of the accident has been launched, the authorities announced.
The two fatalities in the avalanche accident were from Great Britain, as the AP news agency reported, citing the British Foreign Office. They were a 54-year-old woman and her 22-year-old son. Mont Blanc (also spelled Mont Blanc, or Monte Bianco in Italian) is the highest mountain in the Alps.
The second accident occurred when a 31-year-old hiker and a friend wanted to observe chamois in the Ecrins massif and left the hiking trail. According to the high mountain police, the young man fell 500 meters near the village of Chantepérier in the department of Isère. His 26-year-old friend was unharmed and was brought to safety.
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The international community expresses sympathy following the unfortunate avalanche incident in the French Alps, claiming the lives of a British mother and her son. The tragic accident occurred during a hike near the Mont Blanc massif, a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
Source: www.ntv.de
