5 skiers found dead in Swiss Alps near luxury resort
The bodies of five skiers have been found on a glacier above the Swiss resort town of Zermatt after two hikers reported seeing abandoned skis near the Rimpfischhorn, a 4,000-metre peak in the Valais Alps, authorities said on May 25.
An Air Zermatt aircraft with an emergency doctor, paramedic and two Valais Cantonal Rescue Organization specialists flew over the area immediately, according to authorities.
Valais cantonal police said Sunday the victims were located on the Adler Glacier following aerial and ground searches. Three of the bodies were found 500 metres from where the abandoned skis were located on an avalanche cone, according to CNN. (An avalanche cone is a deposit of snow and other debris that forms at the base of an avalanche's path.)
The two other bodies were found 200 metres higher, according to Air Zermatt.
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Formal identification of the victims is still underway, and their nationalities have not yet been released.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances. Weather conditions and avalanche activity in the region are being examined as part of the probe.
This isn't the first time skiers have been found dead in the Swiss Alps.
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5 missing skiers found dead in Swiss Alps, search still on for 1 other
In March 2024, five cross-country skiers were found dead on a mountaintop in the Swiss Alps.
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The group of skiers, including five family members from Valais, had set off to ski from Zermatt, the famed resort town at the base of the Matterhorn, to the village of Arolla — a section of the gruelling 'Haute Route' alpine trail.
The bodies of the five skiers were found at approximately 3,500 metres above sea level at Tête Blanche (White Head) ridge, one of the highest peaks of the Haute Route.
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When the skiers set off, the conditions in the area were 'relatively good,' but the weather quickly deteriorated, Christian Varone, commander of Valais regional police, told a news conference in Sion, Switzerland.
Shortly after 6 p.m. that evening, a rescue crew set off from Zermatt in search of the skiers. The rescuers managed to reach an altitude of 3,000 metres but were forced to turn back due to the extreme wind and cold. At 9 p.m., a second search effort was suspended due to avalanche risk.
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Mountain rescuers and helicopters participate in a rescue mission in the Swiss Alps, near Sion, Switzerland, on March 10, 2024. Valais cantonal police via AP
Eventually the rescue team reached the location of the missing ski group and found five people with no signs of life.
'Unfortunately this region is accustomed to tragedies like this,' Varone told reporters, referring to the deaths of seven hikers — six Italians and a Bulgarian — in the region in 2018. The hikers were caught in a storm overnight and froze to death.
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— With files from Global News and The Associated Press
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