After Sunday’s avalanche in the French Alps, two people are still missing. The avalanche also killed four, including two mountain guides.
LOOK. The avalanche can be seen in the images below:
The avalanche happened in Haute-Savoie, on the heights of Contamines-Montjoie, and hit the Armancette glacier at about 11:30 am. Four deaths have been confirmed, including two mountain guides. One of them was born in 1974, the other in 1984. According to the Bonneville public prosecutor’s office, two people are still missing.
In addition to the four dead, the aid workers also found one slightly injured and eight people who were unharmed.
According to the prefecture of Haute-Savoie, the search operations will be stopped at night. They resume on Monday morning.
The avalanche was 500 meters wide and descended 1,600 meters vertically, the prefecture said.
The avalanche took place outside the known ski area. The victims were probably hiking on the massif. It is not clear whether they were part of the same group. The glacier is a popular destination for experienced hikers at this time of year, Les Contamines-Montjoie mayor François Barbier told AFP.
The glacier is “relatively popular at this time of year with experienced hikers, who climb to the summit at 3,600m and then ski down to the village of Les Contamines at 1,100m. In the summer it is a hiking area in the high mountains,” Barbier said. “The huts that give access to the glacier were full, the conditions were good yesterday.”
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