Two climbers killed in avalanche near Chamonix
Xinhua, January 4, 2016 Adjust font size:
Two people died Sunday afternoon in an avalanche near the ski area of the Grands Montets in Chamonix in the Massif du Mont-Blanc of France, confirmed French Interior Ministry.
"Mr. Bernard Cazeneuve, Minister of the Interior, called everyone upon the utmost caution of avalanche risk at Alpine peaks in the coming hours," read an official statement.
"This afternoon in the Massif of Mont Blanc near Chamonix (Haute-Savoie), an avalanche caused the death of two Lithuanian mountaineers," it added.
The two victims, a man and a woman, were accompanied by a third person, who was unharmed, climbing the Grands Montets before being swept away by a wind slab at 3200 meters.
"Cazeneuve adresseses his condolences to the families and friends of the victims...and asks all residents and vacationers to strictly comply with safety regulations issued by the prefectural authorities," said the official statement.
Weather conditions where the incident happened are paradoxically difficult right now with the softness of recent weeks and the fresh snow fell on Saturday, making it unstable snowpack.
This is the first avalanche deadly in the Alps since the beginning of winter. Endit