British skier killed after being hit by 'very large' avalanche and swept away in French Alps
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Reuters
A British man has died after being caught in a massive avalanche while skiing off-piste in the French Alps.
The 55-year-old was swept away in the Chamonix valley near Mont Blanc on Tuesday afternoon.
His body was discovered by ski patrol members as they were preparing to close the slopes for the day, with medics later being flown to the scene by helicopter.
Despite rescue efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The man was swept away in the Chamonix valley near Mont Blanc on Tuesday afternoon (stock pic)
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The avalanche, which occurred in the Grand Montets ski area at Argentiere, stretched over 1km in length and was 400m wide.
Ski patrol staff spotted the massive snow slide around 4:35pm whilst conducting their end-of-day checks.
They discovered the victim after noticing his elbow protruding from the snow.
Rescue teams then spent two hours searching the area for other potential victims, though no others were found.
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The man was skiing off-piste when the avalanche took place (stock pic)
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The Haute-Savoie prefecture said in a statement: "A very large avalanche occurred in the Grands Montets ski area, in the Herse sector.
"Due to very unfavourable weather conditions and the significant risk of a second avalanche, the rescue operation was halted late in the evening. The checks carried out confirm a provisional assessment of one victim."
Local authorities urged skiers to "imperatively respect the precautionary instructions given by the resorts and public services."
The avalanche risk was rated as "high" on the European Avalanche Danger Scale, with a four out of five rating.
Strong winds had already forced the closure of the mountain's highest lift, the Bochard gondola, earlier that day.
Local reports indicated the man had been on his 11th descent from the Herse chairlift when the incident occurred.
The Chamonix High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon said: "The reasons for the triggering of this kilometre-long and 400-metre-wide flow are currently unknown and an investigation is underway."
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