Off the slopes

France: Avalanche kills two skiers

(Bild: Trombax)

Two skiers from Estonia have died in an avalanche accident in the French Alps. According to rescue workers, the two were buried on Sunday when they were skiing off-piste in Val d'Isère.

Four men who were in the same group as the Estonians were able to free themselves from the masses of snow with the help of mountain rescuers. The two fatalities were reportedly only found by search dogs after 40 and 50 minutes.

Second-highest avalanche danger category
After heavy snowfall, several ski resorts in France were in "high" avalanche danger on Sunday, the second-highest category four on the five-level scale. Avalanches are rare on designated slopes.