Three people died after Monday’s massive avalanche in the Swiss resort of Zermatt. Details about them are not available. One person was rescued alive from under the snow, the police in the canton of Valais said according to the DPA agency. The search was suspended as darkness fell, and a decision will be made on its resumption on Tuesday morning.
The avalanche broke loose near the Riffelberg train station, which is part of the Gornergrat ski resort. Due to the large scale of the avalanche, a large number of police officers and rescuers were deployed in the search operation.
Police initially reported that three people were missing. However, she did not rule out that other people could have been swept away by the avalanche. She has not yet released any information on the nationalities of the deceased.
The Blick newspaper published videos taken by skiers showing an avalanche and clouds of blown snow. In one of the shots, a voice can be heard saying in English that there are four people at the avalanche site on the opposite side of the mountain.
According to police, the avalanche hit an off-piste area that is sought after by more experienced skiers because of the deep snow. In view of the large amount of new snow and gale-force winds in the morning, the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research warned of a high avalanche danger.
In Switzerland this winter, 14 people lost their lives in twelve avalanche accidents. About three weeks ago, six ski alpinists died near Zermatt. Rescuers found the bodies of five of them. The group got into trouble due to bad weather, its members froze to death in temperatures well below zero.
Tags: people died avalanche Zermatt Switzerland
