Fifth victim found after avalanche in the French Alps
LYON: A fifth person has been found dead and one is still missing following an avalanche near Mont Blanc in southeastern France, the local prosecutor’s office said on Monday (April 10).
One of the country’s deadliest avalanches in years swept down the Armancette Glacier on Sunday in the Alps, killing two climbing guides and submerging about 15 people.
After discovering the four victims on Sunday, prosecutor Karline Bouisset said the body of a 39-year-old woman had been found and “a sixth person is still missing”.
One person suffered minor injuries in the avalanche while eight others were also swept in unharmed, the province said.
The avalanche covers an area of 1,600m x 500m.
The mayor of Contamines-Montjoie, Francois Barbier, said ski conditions were “good” on Easter Sunday.
“I think it’s the deadliest avalanche this season.”
The Meteo France weather agency has not issued an avalanche warning for the area, but a combination of high temperatures and winds could be to blame, according to the province.
“Our thoughts are with (the victims) as well as their families,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter.
Two brothers died in an avalanche on the same glacier in 2014, both experienced climbers in their 20s.
