Four dead, nine injured and two missing after massive avalanche in French Alps
A DEADLY avalanche struck near Mont Blanc in south-eastern France on Sunday, killing four people and leaving two others missing.
The prefecture of the department of Haute-Savoie announced that two mountain guides were among the dead who were caught in the snow on the Armancette glacier.
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Investigators were called to help in the search for the two missing people in the Alps.
One person also suffered minor injuries in the avalanche, while eight others who were also swept away were unharmed, the prefecture said.
The avalanche covered a huge area measuring 1,000 by 500 meters, photos show of the snow rolling down the mountain.
The weather agency Meteo France had not issued an avalanche warning for the region, but a combination of heat and wind may have been behind the disaster, the prefecture added.
President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter: “We are thinking of (the victims) and their families.”
“Our rescue services were mobilized to find those still trapped in the snow.”
Rescuers had deployed a helicopter and mountain rescue dogs to the scene, although the prefecture warned that another avalanche could not be ruled out.
Operations were suspended in the evening but will resume Monday morning at 7:00am.
Contamines-Montjoie Mayor Francois Barbier told AFP: “I think it’s the deadliest avalanche this season.”
Two brothers died in an avalanche on the same glacier in 2014, both experienced climbers in their 20s.
Last month, a British teenager was killed by an avalanche while on a ski trip in Switzerland.
The 18-year-old man was found dead after being swept away by the avalanche in Meiringen near Bern.
Earlier this week, a massive avalanche trapped 150 people after throwing a full bus down a ravine.
The Indian Army said the avalanche struck Nathu La, a popular tourist destination between Sikkim and China’s Tibet region.
At least 30 trapped tourists were pulled out and taken to hospital while around 350 people and 80 vehicles were stranded after snow blocked the roads, the Times of India reports.
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