Two British skiers are among three people killed in an avalanche in the French Alps, authorities have confirmed. The incident occurred while the pair were part of a group of five skiers accompanied by an instructor, skiing off-piste in Val d’Isère, south-east France. A French national skiing alone was also killed.
Albertville prosecutor Benoît Bachelet stated that the ski instructor, who escaped injury, tested negative for alcohol and drugs. Another British skier sustained minor injuries. A manslaughter investigation has been launched by the Albertville public prosecutor’s office and will be conducted by the CRS Alpes mountain rescue police.
France’s national weather service had issued a red alert for avalanche risk in the area on Thursday. The tragedy follows a series of deadly avalanches in the Italian Alps, where 11 people died in seven days due to exceptionally unstable snow conditions. Among the victims was a 70-year-old hiker found dead in the Veneto region, which is hosting the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Italy’s rescue service warned that avalanche risk remains high across most of the Alpine range from west to east. With fresh snow accumulating on older, unstable layers, even the movement of a single skier can trigger an avalanche, the service said.
