Two German tourists died on Thursday, swept away by an avalanche over the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard (Spitsbergen) in the Arctic. They were part of a group of five tourists led by two guides from the Russian tourist company Arctic Travel Company.
Their disappearance was reported in the middle of the afternoon after an avalanche near the Fridtjofbreen glacier, not far from Barentsbourg, a Russian mining community in the west of the archipelago. According to the governor's services, the rescue operations were disrupted by weather conditions.
A territory with special status
Svalbard is located a thousand miles from the North Pole. This territory, twice as large as Belgium, is geared towards tourism, scientific research and mining.
This region is governed by a special statute which authorizes commercial activities for nationals of all the states signatory to the Paris Treaty of 1920. The archipelago has approximately 2,900 inhabitants.
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