The two Dutch skiers who were killed on Monday afternoon by an avalanche in the French Alps come from Eindhoven. This is reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were skiing outside the guarded slopes, according to rescue services.
It concerns two men aged 20 and 21. Their families have been notified by the ministry.
At around 1pm, a ski lift worker from the Les Sybelles ski area saw a snow cloud on one of the slopes of the Col de Bellard. This reports The Telegraph, which spoke to people involved in the rescue operation. According to the ski lift employee, two patrols then went to look. They discovered footprints off the slopes of the Saint-Colomban-des-Villards ski station.
Heli’s and sniffer dogs
“They immediately notified the emergency services,” police rescue worker Thomas Maisonneuve told the newspaper. “We went looking with two helicopters and three dogs. In total we were fifteen people.” The two young skiers were 1 meter and 1 meter 50 under the snow. They were found with the help of a dog and an avalanche probe, which can measure how deep someone is under the snow.
“We had two doctors with us, who immediately started CPR. They continued this in the helicopter, on the way to the hospital in Grenoble. There the skiers were examined and declared dead,” Maisonneuve told the newspaper.
Significant avalanche risk
The risk of avalanches in this part of the Alps was considered significant on Monday. A few days ago it was hit in another part of the Alps, in the Austrian Tyrol. There were at least eight deaths in a short time due to avalanches. Media spoke of a black day for the region.