Two German mountaineers still missing in the French Alps
In the French Alps, two German mountaineers remain missing after an avalanche of glacial ice. "An ice axe was found at the edge of a crevasse, suggesting that the avalanche caught them by surprise," said Jean Ailhaud, deputy prosecutor of Bonneville in the eastern French department of Haute-Savoie, to the news agency AFP. The two Germans, aged 30 and 39, have been missing since Monday morning's ice collapse at the Mont-Blanc massif.
Due to the amount of snow that has fallen into the crevasse, it is too dangerous to descend there, the deputy prosecutor added. The search for the missing persons was suspended Monday afternoon due to the risk of further ice collapses.
The two Germans had spent the night of Sunday to Monday in a hut at the foot of the Mont-Blanc massif. At around 03:00 on Monday morning, an ice collapse occurred on the north side of Mont Blanc du Tacul at approximately 4100 meters in height. A French person was killed, and four others were injured. There were about 15 people in the area at the time of the incident.
Despite the location of the Germans being unknown, the Alpine environment continues to pose significant challenges for the search team. The Alpine terrain, with its treacherous crevasses and unpredictable weather conditions, is making the rescue operation particularly challenging.
