An unfortunate incident occurred in the French Alps where two British skiers and one French skier lost their lives due to an avalanche.
According to the tourist office of Val-d’Isère, the two British individuals and the French national were skiing off-piste when the avalanche struck the La Vallée du Manchet area around 11.30am CET on Friday, sweeping away a total of six skiers. One British skier sustained injuries and was hospitalized.
The French skier was skiing solo, while the British duo was part of a group of five under the guidance of an instructor. Prosecutor Benoît Bachelet confirmed, “The two deceased individuals and the injured party are British citizens who were part of a group accompanied by an instructor. The instructor escaped unharmed.”
Cédric Bonnevie, the director of the Val-d’Isère ski resort, mentioned that an inquiry into the incident has been initiated, and the cause of the avalanche remains unknown. Bonnevie also highlighted that two of the victims were swiftly located by rescuers due to their proper equipment, including avalanche transceivers.
Locating the third victim took longer as their avalanche transceiver seemed to have malfunctioned, as explained by Mr. Bonnevie. The injured British skier, buried under snow, managed to free themselves and was subsequently transported to a hospital in Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
A representative from the Foreign Office conveyed, “We are aware of the tragic incident involving the loss of two British nationals in France. We are in touch with local authorities and are prepared to provide consular support.”
The Val-d’Isère tourist office extended its “heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of the victims” and advised skiers to stay within secure, designated areas of the resort due to the high avalanche risk level of four out of five on that day.
The Savoie prefecture issued a cautionary notice, advising against off-piste activities, ski touring, and snowshoeing, and urging mountain enthusiasts to strictly adhere to safety instructions provided by professionals and slope services.
Storm Nils brought heavy snowfall to France on Thursday, with Météo-France reporting 60 to 100cm of fresh snowfall. The national weather service issued a red alert (level five) for avalanche risk in the Savoie region, leading to the closure of several ski resorts in the Alps.
Météo-France cautioned that the snowpack in Savoie would remain “highly unstable” on Friday, especially above 1,800 to 2,000m, stating that avalanches could easily be triggered by skiers or hikers, mobilizing significant amounts of snow.
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