Four people died and several were injured in an avalanche on Sunday on the Armancette glacier in the French Alps, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Twitter.
The balance of the avalanche in Haute-Savoie is still “provisional” and “rescue teams are still working,” said the minister, who expressed his “thoughts for the victims and their families.”
In addition to the four people who died, nine were “involved” in the avalanche, which occurred late in the morning in the commune of Contamines-Montjoie, the Haute-Savoie prefecture reported to AFP. The avalanche had a length of 1,000 meters and a width of 100 meters, the source said.
The victims were hiking in the massif, but at this time it is not possible to determine if they were part of the same rope group or separate rope groups. The identity of the victims has not yet been determined.
Météo-France had not issued an avalanche alert, according to the prefecture, but the heat and wind could have caused this event.
The search quickly mobilized about twenty SMUR troops, gendarmes, firefighters and doctors, but more means of help are on the way.
Civil Security and Gendarmerie helicopters were also activated, as well as dogs dedicated to searching for avalanches.
The search continues in this sector, where an overflow phenomenon cannot be excluded, according to the prefecture.
On this same glacier, two brothers, confirmed climbers, were swept away on December 25, 2014.
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