Two Brits are among three skiers killed in an avalanche in the French Alps, a day after several ski resorts shut down due to the risk of snowslides.
The avalanche in Val d’Isere swept away six skiers, killing one French national and the two Britons, public prosecutor in Albertville Benoit Bachelet said.
A third British citizen suffered minor injuries, he added.
Emergency services responded quickly but could not prevent the deaths, a resort official said, noting that all of the victims had avalanche transceivers.
The deaths followed a rare, day-long red alert across the southeastern Savoie region on Thursday – a danger level issued only twice before since the system was introduced 25 years ago.
The warning prompted several resorts to close all or part of their pistes.
On Friday, the red alert was lifted in Savoie but the risk level remained high across the Alps, with ‘very unstable snow cover’ especially above 1,800 to 2,000 metres altitude, according to the Meteo France weather service.
Storm Nils, which passed through France on Thursday, dumped 60-100 centimetres of snow, according to the weather service.
Three skiers including two Brits died after being swept away in an avalanche in the upmarket French Alpine ski resort of Val d’Isere on Friday
Cedric Bonnevie, who is in charge of the resort’s pistes, told reporters one of the victims was a French national while the others were British. Pictured: A stock image of Val-d’Isere
The two Britons killed were part of a group of four skiers accompanied by a professional instructor and were skiing off-piste at the time.
All were equipped with avalanche safety gear, including transceivers, shovels and probes, according to the resort.
The public prosecutor Mr Bachelet, said alcohol and drug tests carried out on the instructor were negative.
Piste chief Cedric Bonnevie said one of the victims appeared to have been caught high up on the slope.
The other two were among a group of five, including a professional guide, further down the mountain face and did not see the avalanche coming.
It was not clear what caused the avalanche, Mr Bonnevie said.
It comes after avalanches killed two skiers in the French Alps on Monday, following the deaths of two others in a separate slides at the weekend.
A 38-year-old man was killed in Saint-Agnes near Grenoble, local police said. The skier he was with was unharmed.
Another man, in his early 30s, was the victim of a ‘very large avalanche’ while skiing in an off-piste area near the village of Montgenevre, said local prosecutor Marion Lozac’hmeur.
Yet another who was with the victim was unharmed, she added.
The deaths came after an avalanche killed two off-piste ski tourers in the French Alps on Saturday, near Saint-Veran, known as the highest village in the French Alps.
The two victims were part of a group of four unguided skiers when an avalanche swept down the north side of the Tete de Longet mountain peak.
Avalanches have already claimed the lives of at least 20 skiers across the French, Swiss, Italian and Austrian Alps so far this season.
Last month, a British man was reportedly among six skiers killed in avalanches in the French Alps.
The Englishman, believed to be in his 50s, was skiing off-piste at the La Plagne resort in the south-east of France, the resort said in a statement.
Rescue teams received an avalanche alert at 1.57pm on January 11 and immediately went to the site, the resort said.
A team of more than 50 people, including medics, ski school instructors and a helicopter-deployed piste dog, were called in.
The man was located after 50 minutes, buried under eight feet of snow, but could not be revived, the resort said.
He was with a group when the avalanche struck, but was not equipped with an avalanche transceiver and was not with a professional instructor, it added.
The Daily Mail previously reported at least 17 deaths on European slopes between December and January.
