Switzerland: five of six ski hikers missing in the Alps found dead
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They had been actively sought since Saturday. Five of the six Swiss ski hikers who disappeared in the Swiss Alps have been found dead, the cantonal police of Valais (southwest) announced on Monday, still searching for the last one. While bad weather conditions had complicated rescue operations, a team of rescuers was finally able to be sent and “discovered the bodies of five of the six people missing”, according to a police press release. The hikers were missing in the Tête Blanche region.
During the weekend, the storm which raged in the south of the Alps as well as the danger of avalanches prevented helicopters and rescue columns from being able to approach the area for a long time. This Sunday evening, a team, made up of three rescuers and a police officer from the mountain group, was finally able to be airlifted “near the Dent Blanche cabin”, the police said in a press release. “Around 9:20 p.m., she reached the Tête Blanche sector where she discovered the bodies of five of the six people missing,” she added.
Research continues
The sixth hiker has still not been located, but the police remain “hopeful” to find him. The search to find him is ongoing. “Everything was undertaken on a human level, in terms of resources…. we tried the impossible. Sometimes we have to bow to nature,” declared the commander of the Valais cantonal police, Christian Varone, during a press conference in Sion.
“The rescuers went to the extreme, extreme limit of possibilities,” he insisted, pointing out the “catastrophic” conditions over the weekend, with wind, fog, freezing cold. and a significant risk of avalanches. “As long as there is hope we will go to the end, while being realistic about the conditions in which this person has lived over the last 48 hours,” said Commander Varone.
Five of the six hikers are members of the same family. The group, made up of Swiss nationals aged 21 to 58, left Zermatt on Saturday morning with the aim of reaching the high altitude village of Arolla the same day. But the police have not yet communicated the identities of the bodies found. She is due to give a press conference later this morning in Sion.
Emergency services were alerted on Saturday afternoon by a family member who was supposed to pick up the group in Arolla and who was worried about not seeing their loved ones arrive. The hikers were able to be located in the Col de Tête Blanche area, at approximately 3,500 m altitude, because one of them managed to reach emergency services. The weather conditions linked to depression Monica made relief operations delicate. The Attorney General of Valais, Béatrice Pilloud, also indicated that “a criminal investigation has been opened in order to elucidate the circumstances of this dramatic incident”.
An attempt by land from Zermatt was undertaken during the night from Saturday to Sunday by five rescuers but they had to give up more than 3,000 m of altitude due to the very bad weather conditions and the risks involved. Depression Monica resulted in wind gusts ranging from 110 to 150 km/h in the Alps, and locally up to 190 km/h, above 1,800 m. The Valais police have called for the greatest caution in the coming days because even if the wind has calmed, the danger of avalanches persists.
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