Two more bodies found as French Alps avalanche death toll rises to six
Two more bodies are found buried in snow as death toll from French Alps avalanche disaster climbs to six: Two guides and a couple in their 40s among dead near Mont Blanc
- Avalanche took place in the middle of the day on the Armancette glacier
- Authorities have now ended their search as they don’t know of anyone missing
Two more bodies have been found buried in snow after an avalanche struck near Mont Blanc in the French Alps – as the death toll climbs to six.
Authorities in France confirmed they have now ended their search for bodies as they are unaware of any other missing persons who may have been caught by the snow tumbling down the Armancette glacier, spokesman Emmanuel Coquand said.
Coquand declined to comment on the identity of the six people but local media reported that among those killed in the disaster were two mountain guides and four clients, all French, including a couple in their 40s and a young woman and man in their 20s.
One person also suffered slight injuries in the avalanche while eight others also swept up were unharmed, the prefecture said. The avalanche, covered an area of 3,280 ft by 1,640ft.
Coquand said the six had been skiing off-piste, or out of area, when the avalanche struck.
The Armancette glacier lies near the village and ski resort of Les Contamines-Montjoie, some 30 kilometres (almost 20 miles) south-west of Chamonix in the Haute-Savoie region
Eyewitnesses shared pictures of an avalanche, which has killed six, in the area on social media
No avalanche warning had been issued for the region by weather authority Meteo France, but a combination of warmth and wind may have been behind the disaster, the prefecture added.
Emergency responders had deployed a helicopter as well as mountain rescue dogs to the scene, although the prefecture warned a further avalanche could not be ruled out.
The avalanche, one of France’s worst in recent years, came during the Easter long weekend, when skiers from around the country and the UK to flock to the popular spot.
The glacier lies near the village and ski resort of Les Contamines-Montjoie, some almost 20 miles south-west of Chamonix. Two brothers died in an avalanche on the same glacier in 2014, both experienced climbers in their 20s.
The emergency operation was suspended in the evening, but will resume at 5am on Monday.
‘I think it’s the most deadly avalanche this season,’ Contamines-Montjoie mayor Francois Barbier told AFP.
Two helicopters were sent in to help in the search, a local radio station said, quoting the local prefecture in Thonon.
View shows the aftermath of an avalanche near the Armancette glacier in the French Alps
The avalanche occurred in the middle of the day on the Armancette glacier in the Haute-Savoie region
An onlooker shared a photo of a staggering avalanche on the glacier which they captioned ‘in memoriam’
The ski resort of Contamines-Montjoie today shared a video showing a wall of snow moving down from the Dômes de Miage, which the Armancette glacier is a part of.
In the post, the Domaine Skiable des Contamines-Montjoie urged people to be careful when skiing off-piste.
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