Avalanche takes people away in Switzerland: search is extremely difficult | Abroad

Despite the use of helicopters and sniffer dogs, the search is extremely difficult. Up to 120 centimeters of snow has fallen in some places since Friday, and it is now getting dark. It is still not clear how many people are buried under the snow near the town of Riffelberg. It concerns three to five people, an estimate based on witness statements and traces found.

Due to heavy snowfall and strong winds, warnings have already been issued about the risk of avalanches in some areas of the south of the Alps. “We can expect large to very large avalanches,” an institute for snow and avalanche research indicated.

It is therefore difficult for the authorities to understand that people have ventured off the slopes despite the warnings. Because they are unlikely to be experienced ski tourers, the victims are unlikely to have equipment with them that can transmit a distress signal with coordinates in the event of danger, such as when struck by an avalanche. This makes it even more difficult for the rescue services to locate the skiers.

The ski area where the avalanche occurred, which covers parts of Switzerland and Italy, was in the news last week after images of a rocking ski lift in Breuil-Cervinia, Italy, went viral. This is located at the foot of the famous Matterhorn, known in Italy as Monte Cervino. Sudden gusts of more than 100 kilometers per hour caused a ski lift to rock violently back and forth. One container didn’t even fall over.

Last month, five ski tourers were found dead on the Swiss mountain Tête Blanche. They tried to build a snow cave to shelter from the bad weather, but eventually panic set in. The search is still underway for the sixth person in the group, but it is suspected that that man also died.

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