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AVALANCHE

Austrian woman among six dead in avalanche

Six climbers, including a teenager, were killed in an Alpine avalanche on Saturday that struck the Monte Nevoso area, close to Italy's border with Austria, rescuers said.

Published: 13 March 2016 09:00 CET
Austrian woman among six dead in avalanche
Schneebiger Nock. Photo: http://www.suedtirol.com/

The victims included five Italian nationals, one of whom was 16, and an Austrian woman.

The six were among a group of 15 people who were very close to the summit of Monte Nevoso, climbing at an altitude of more than 3,300 metres (10,800 feet), when the avalanche hit in the late morning.

The others escaped unharmed, despite earlier reports several of them were injured.

The peak, whose summit stands at 3,358 metres, is also known as Schneebiger Nock.

Four helicopters were dispatched to the area but the altitude meant they were forced to fly with minimal fuel to reduce their airborne weight, hampering the operation.

Monte Nevoso lies in the Aurina valley in the South Tyrol region of northeastern Italy.

The avalanche risk in the Italian Alps this weekend was assessed to be reasonably low, just two out of five.

SKI

Dad’s ‘miracle escape’ after being buried by avalanche in French Alps

A man out walking with his family in the French Alps has made a miraculous escape from an avalanche after spending more than two and a half hours trapped under snow, rescuers said.

Published: 29 January 2021 11:46 CET
Dad's 'miracle escape' after being buried by avalanche in French Alps
Ski lifts in France are closed, but visitors and locals are free to enjoy other outdoor sports. Photo: AFP

The 50-year-old father was snowshoeing near the high-altitude Val d'Isere ski resort with his wife and two children on Thursday without anti-avalanche safety equipment.

“Thank to the mobilisation of nearly 100 people… the man was found alive after two hours and 40 minutes of searching,” the police for the local Savoie département announced on Twitter.

Because of the depth of the snow, rescue dogs were unable to detect a trace, but the man was eventually dug out by a specialised mountain police team which used a Wolfhound device to locate his mobile phone under the ice.

“I think it's a miracle,” Alexandre Grether from the PGHM rescue team told the France 3 local news channel, adding that the man was found 2.5 metres (eight feet) below the surface.

The chances of survival after more than 20 minutes in an avalanche are usually slim.

“He was protected by a tree, that's what prevented him from being crushed by all the ice that slid down. The snow had surrounded him, but he had a pocket of air,” he explained.

The victim is expected to make a full recovery after suffering a fracture to his hip.

The avalanche risk on Thursday was at its maximum – five on a scale of five – and rescuers urge people to always check the snow conditions before venturing out.

READ ALSO 'Whole season a write-off' – what next for France's ski resorts?

Ski lifts in the Alps, which have seen some of their heaviest snowfalls in years in January, are currently closed because of restrictions imposed by the government to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Visitors and locals are free to enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing, but occupancy levels in hotels and chalets are way down and business owners and seasonal staff face serious hardships.

The government has promised an economic support package for the sector.

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