Two climbers, a French and a Spanish, have died and nine others have been injured this Friday by the detachment of a large block of ice while ascending the Grand Combin massif, in southwestern Switzerland, according to the police.
The two athletes were part of a group of 17 climbers who were at an altitude of 3,400 meters in the sector known as the "Lunch Plateau", when they were surprised by the collapse of the ice block.
“Two people died immediately at the crash site.
She is a 40-year-old French citizen, resident in France;
and of a 65-year-old Spaniard, resident in Spain”, the police have detailed.
The authorities have also indicated that the nine injured mountaineers have been transferred by helicopter to two Swiss hospitals, and that two of them are seriously injured.
A total of seven helicopters and about 40 rescuers have been involved in the relief operation.
The police have called for extreme precautions in the area.
The Grand Combin is a Swiss massif whose highest peak reaches 4,314 meters.
It is found in the western Pennine Alps, between the Bagnes and Entremont valleys, in the territories of the municipalities of Bagnes, Liddes and Bourg-Saint-Pierre in southwestern Switzerland.
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