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CatastropheItaly

Italy: 3 killed after avalanche near French border

Published April 14, 2023last updated April 14, 2023

The men were taking a mountain guide course in the Aosta Valley when the avalanche swept them away. The course leader survived the avalanche, alerting emergency services after descending to the valley.

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Aosta Valley, Italy
The bodies of three tourists were recovered following an avalanche in the Italian AlpsImage: Paolo Picciotto/UIG/IMAGO

A mountain rescue team recovered on Friday the bodies of three Italian skiers, after they were caught the day before in an avalanche in the border area between France and Italy while training to be Alpine guides.

The National Alpine Rescue Corps resumed their search for the missing men, having suspended it on Thursday due to poor weather conditions. 

The bodies of the men were taken to Aosta for formal identification.

Bad weather hinders rescue

Due to bad weather, neither rescue helicopters nor rescue workers on the French and Italian sides were able to get to the scene of the accident.

Rescue teams tried to reach the area by land, but the operation was called off on Thursday evening.

The men had been taking part in a mountain guide course in the Val di Rhemes on Thursday when they were swept away by the avalanche, the Italian rescue service said. 

The course leader, a 49-year-old guide from the Aosta Valley, was able to save himself and descend into the valley to alert emergency services. He was not seriously injured and was being treated in the emergency room of a nearby hospital.

Last week, a large avalanche killed several people on the Armancette glacier in the French Alps.

rmt, dh/nm (dpa, AFP)