Bodies of five missing skiers found after avalanche
The bodies of five missing skiers who were part of a tour in the Swiss Alps have been found after a two-day hunt for their bodies.
Five out of the six missing climbers were found dead in the Swiss Alps after they had set off from Zermatt on a ski tour along the Swiss-Italian border, but went missing near the 3,706m high Tete Blanche mountain.
Rescuers launched a search party on Saturday at around 4pm after a concerned family member rang for help when the group did not arrive at Arolla as planned.
One skier managed to send a distress signal to rescuers at 5.19pm, which gave them a rough location, reports Blick.
Teams on both sides of the route towards Arolla were notified, but the operation was hampered by the severe weather conditions.
Rescuers attempted on foot to reach the skiers on Saturday but were forced to turn back due to the bad weather.
The search and rescue team found five of the six skiers on Sunday evening ‘without any signs of life’, said a statement from Swiss Valais canton police.
The skiers were all Swiss nationals, aged 21 to 58, and five of them are said to be from the same family.
The family were from the Valais canton, while the sixth person was from the canton of Fribourg.
Anjan Truffer, the head of Zermatt’s air rescue service said the group may have been hindered by the bad weather rather than being struck by an avalanche, as they went missing in an area with a low risk of avalanche.
The routes followed by ski tours are typically unprepared, and skiers are often equipped with location finders and avalanche shovels.
The 75 mile long route followed by the skiers is from Zermatt to Arolla, and is part of the ‘Haute Route’.
Although the route is very popular, it takes several days and is only suitable for the most experienced skiers.
Pierre Mathey, The chief of the Swiss Mountain Guides Association told Swiss newspaper 24 Heures the group may have survived if they had dug a cave in the snow for shelter.
The search operation for the sixth skier is ongoing.
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