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Tragic Avalanche Incidents in the French Alps Claim Five Lives

In a series of tragic events on Wednesday, local authorities confirmed that five skiers lost their lives due to two separate avalanches in the French Alps. The incidents unfolded in the picturesque mountainous regions of Savoie and Haute-Savoie.

The first avalanche occurred in Val-Cenis, situated in the southeastern part of Savoie, where four Norwegian skiers perished. Three of the fatalities were instantaneous, while the fourth, a woman, succumbed to severe hypothermia and cardiorespiratory arrest at a nearby medical facility. This group was part of a larger ensemble, consisting of seven skiers, with the remaining three escaping unharmed.

Jacques Arnoux, the mayor of Val-Cenis, reported that the skiers were equipped with avalanche beacons, as they had ventured off-piste—a term that describes skiing in areas outside of marked and maintained trails, often associated with higher risks. “It was an avalanche of great size which was triggered outside the ski area,” Mayor Arnoux noted, emphasizing the severity of the situation.

Following the avalanche, a dedicated team of ten mountain rescue specialists was dispatched to the scene to assist with the response and recovery efforts.

In another incident further north in the Haute-Savoie region, a Swiss skier, identified as a 30-year-old woman, died while skiing with her brother and father near Chamonix. The brother was taken to a hospital for evaluations, and the father remained unharmed. All three individuals were utilizing anti-avalanche airbags while skiing off-piste in the Mont Blanc massif, highlighting the inherent dangers of such recreational activities.

This recent spate of fatal incidents follows the death of a 55-year-old Brazilian-Portuguese skier on Tuesday, who was also caught in a “very large” avalanche in an off-piste area of Mont Blanc. As avalanche risks extend across various regions, the tragic losses serve as a somber reminder of the inherent dangers associated with skiing in uncontrolled terrains.

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www.bbc.com