Efe Geneva
Geneva
Updated Monday, March 11, 2024-10:23
Five of the six climbers who disappeared last Saturday on a route in the Swiss Alps were found dead last night, while
the search for the sixth member of the group continues
, the Police of the canton of Valais, where the tragedy occurred, reported this Monday.
The six skiers were making the
journey between the towns of Zermatt and Arolla
, and got lost when they were advancing in the
Tete Blanche
(
White Head
) sector, at 3,500 meters high and known for orientation difficulties in bad weather.
The very difficult weather conditions, with
wind gusts exceeding 100 kilometers per hour
and
visibility close to zero
, delayed air rescue operations.
The team of five highly experienced rescue skiers who were trying to locate the missing people had to turn back when they were at 3,000 meters above sea level due to the high risk of an avalanche.
Among the six missing people, aged
between 21 and 58, five are members of the same family.
The Police explained that last night a helicopter managed to leave
three experienced rescuers and an experienced mountain police officer near a mountain refuge, in the
Dent Blanche
(
White Tooth
) area, who after two hours were able to reach the sector where It was known that the climbers had been stranded.
The commander of the Valais cantonal police, Christian Varone, gives a press conference.VALENTIN FLAURAUD |
EFE
In that place, they discovered the bodies of five of the six missing people.