An avalanche disaster on the highest peak in the Western Alps in France, the Mont Blanc, claimed the lives of nine climbers. Eleven other mountaineers ended up in the hospital, four are still missing. Two lucky mountain climbers could be rescued by local authorities using search dogs and helicopters.
The first
elements that we have from testimony are that a climber could have set
loose a sheet of ice, and that sheet then pulled down the group of
climbers below. I should say that the incline was very, very steep on
this northern face.
- Col. Bertrand François of the Haute-Savoie gendarme service
Some of the climbers were with professional guides, others were
climbing independently. French investigators will examine the
circumstances of the deaths.
The Mont Blanc massif is a popular area for climbers, hikers and
tourists but a dangerous one, with dozens dying on it each year.
Chamonix, a top center for climbing, hosted the first Winter Olympics in
1924.
Our thoughts are with the friends and families of the climbers who lost their lives in the
Mont Blanc disaster.
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