Avalanches killed five people in the French Alps.
After heavy snowfall, several avalanches went off.
Villar-d'Arêne - Several avalanches went off in the French Alps and cost five lives.
In addition, some were injured.
Avalanches in the Alps: Several dead and injured
On Monday, the responsible public prosecutor in GAP confirmed an avalanche accident with three fatalities in the area of the Grande Ruine mountain in the Ecrins massif southeast of Grenoble.
According to the public prosecutor, the dead are three ski tourers.
The mountain guide and his two customers, a man and a woman, fell around 400 meters when the masses of snow dissolved at an altitude of 3700 meters.
According to a report in the regional newspaper “Le Dauphiné”, the accident occurred at around 10.30 am near the municipality of Villar-d'Arêne at an altitude of around 3,100 meters.
According to reports from local media, there was an increased avalanche warning level in the area after heavy snowfalls in recent weeks.
Regional President Renaud Muselier spoke on Twitter of a "tragedy" and expressed his condolences to the relatives.
Another avalanche in the French Alps takes four people with it
But this avalanche should not have been the only one.
In the Isère department on the Ailefroide massif, a group of four ski tourers was also caught in an avalanche when a slab of snow slid above two skiers.
A 55-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman were killed, another member of the group broke his arm, and the fourth member was uninjured.
A third avalanche went off near the town of Valjouffrey, according to a local media report, and hit three people, one of whom was seriously injured.
Heavy snowfall in recent weeks is currently increasing the risk of avalanches in parts of the Alps.
Because of the corona pandemic, ski lifts are currently not open in France. Therefore, according to afp, other winter sports are very popular. Many inexperienced people also go on ski tours.
(aft / dpa / rjs)