Police and rescue workers are searching for at least three people with a large contingent. The avalanche was very large and the search area was correspondingly large.
Around three weeks ago, six ski tourers had a fatal accident near Zermatt. Five bodies were recovered. The Riffelberg is a good 2,500 meters high. It is part of the ski area on Gornergrat with a view of the Matterhorn, around 7.5 kilometers away. The Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (WLF) warned of a high risk of avalanches.