French Alps avalanche tragedy as four killed and nine injured near Mont Blanc

Search for survivors ongoing in resort near Mont Blanc

Four people have died and nine have been injured in an avalanche southwest of Mont Blanc in the French Alps.

Two people remain missing and a local authorities search was set to resume at dawn on Monday, according to local media.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the avalanche occurred in the middle of the day on the Armancette glacier on Easter Sunday.

Tragedy struck in popular ski resort (@jpclement38/Reuters)

Those caught up in it were backcountry skiing in the mountains, said Emmanuel Coquand, spokesperson for the local authorities of Haute-Savoie, adding that they were still confirming the identity of the victims.

He said the avalanche was extensive, covering an area of 1km by 500 metres at an altitude of 3,500 metres and that its causes are being investigated.

The local France-Bleu radio station said two helicopters were sent in to help in the search, quoting the local prefecture in Thonon.

Two of those killed were guides from the local Saint Gervais mountain guide company, Le Monde reported.

The glacier lies near the village and ski resort of Les Contamines-Montjoie.

President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter that rescue services were continuing to search for further casualties and that his thoughts were with the victims and their families.

Sunday’s avalanche was estimated to be 1km long by 100m wide (Reuters)

Avalanches cause dozens of deaths each year in the alps. Earlier in the ski season, authorities urged caution due to a high risk of avalanches across the mountain range.

A total of 130 people were killed in avalanches over the 2020/2021 season, up from the 53 who died in 2019/200. The deaths mainly happened in France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Norway.

Last month, a British teenager died after being hit by an avalanche while on a ski tour in Switzerland.

The 18-year-old was killed on Tuesday 21 March after an avalanche struck in Meiringen resort, in the canton of Bern at around 4.25pm. The teenager was originally from England but had been living in Bern.

A British woman was killed in an avalanche while walking in the French Alps in January.