Several people were swept away on Monday by an avalanche in Zermatt, one of the most popular ski and mountaineering resorts in Switzerland, Valais cantonal police said on the social network X.
“Shortly after 2:00 p.m. on April 1, 2024, an avalanche was triggered in the off-piste area in Riffelberg (Zermatt). Several people swept away. Research in progress. Information will follow
,” writes the police. No further information was available as of mid-afternoon.
Heavy snowfall and very strong winds have prompted authorities to warn of a significant risk of avalanches in the Alpine regions of southern Switzerland. This Easter Monday, the danger was great in certain parts of the canton of Graubünden and that of Valais.
“Very large, even sometimes extremely large, spontaneous avalanches are to be expected
,” the Institute for the Study of Snow and Avalanches (SLF) indicated on Monday.
This winter, fourteen people have already lost their lives in avalanches in Switzerland, a number slightly lower than the long-term average of 17 deaths at the end of March. Most of the victims were cross-country skiers. These fourteen people lost their lives in twelve separate accidents, according to the provisional winter report published on March 27 by the SLF.