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Zermatt avalanche death investigated
Wednesday April 28, 2010 - Email this article to a friend
A British man in his 30's has been killed. He was with a mountain guide at the time. It is the latest incident in which a professional has been involved. A full investigation is being carried out.
The man, who was in his 30's, was in a party of 4 heading to the Cabane du Mont Rosa on a well known ski touring route known as the Schwartztor.
The guide was a Frenchman, believed to come from Chamonix.
2 people were caught in the slide and one person died.
The accident happened on Sunday at 14.20 on a north facing slope the group was descending.
The steepeness of the slope was between 31 and 35 degrees.
He was wearing all the correct safety equipment, including a transceiver, but despite being found quickly he was unable to be revived.
Caution always urged off piste"The first skier remained on the surface and was only slightly injured. The second person on the other hand was completely buried. The 2 other members of the group and the guide were not caught in the slide," says a statement from the Cantonal Police.
The avalanche was a slab avalanche that was 50m wide with a depth of under 1m. The person who died was buried under 30cm of snow.
The injured person, who is 33, was taken to hospital by helicopter and is not seriously injured but is in shock.
The person who died is believed to be an English national who was domiciled in France.
An investigation is now under way.
There have been a higher than usual number of incidents this winter when either professionals have been caught in avalanches or have been involved.
We have reported on it here.
The latest accident brings the total number of people that have died in avalanches in Switzerland this winter to 28, according to the Swiss Avalanche Institute.
It is the same number as last season.
Last year it included 8 off piste skiers, 2 off psite snowboarders, 7 ski tourers, 6 snowshoers, 1 ice climber and 4 mountaineers.
In Austria 33 people have died. An increase on the previous season. On average 22 people perish each season in the Austrian Alps.
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See this related story and video of how to search for a victim under an avalanche.
Monte Rosa
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