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Al Arabiya
19-04-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Four killed after spring storms wreak havoc in the Alps
Alpine ski resorts were getting back to normal on Friday after spring storms the previous day claimed four victims in the French Alps and northern Italy, including a British holidaymaker. The 27-year-old Briton was caught in an avalanche at the entrance to the French Alpine resort of Val Thorens in Savoie, after heavy snowfall across the mountain range. Found in a state of cardiac arrest, he was taken to Grenoble for treatment but died that evening, local prosecutor Benoit Bachelet said in a statement Friday. Three people died in northern Italy on Thursday after the region was hit by heavy rains. Floodwaters carried away a 64-year-old and his 33-year-old son in their car in the Veneto region of northeast Italy. And a man in his 90s was found dead in his flooded home in the northwest region of Piedmont. 'Intense and abundant' rain had drenched the north of Italy, turning to snow above 1,800 meters (5,905 feet) altitude, an official said. The storms shut roads, halted trains and cut power to areas in France, Italy and Switzerland. Although snow in April is not rare in the Alps, the amount that fell in just hours was unusual and took authorities and residents by surprise. Officials in some parts of the French and Swiss Alps had told residents to stay indoors on Thursday before lifting the restrictions. The avalanche alert level was raised in several regions, shutting down several ski areas. By Friday evening however, Meteo France had lowered its alert level, while still urging skiers to remain vigilant. Many roads were shut in all three countries due to fallen trees or the risk of avalanches. Heavy trucks were banned from using the main Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy and dozens that could not get through tunnels were stuck on the A43 highway linking Italy and France. Trains were also affected, and at one point more than 3,300 homes in France and 5,000 households in Italy were left without power, according to authorities. 'It's truly exceptional,' said Didier Beauchet, a retiree who has lived in Lanslebourg in the Savoie for 40 years. 'I must have seen that only five times,' he told AFP, as motorists around him worked to free their snow-covered cars.
Sky News
18-04-2025
- Sky News
British man, 27, dies after avalanche at French Alps ski resort
A British man has died after an avalanche at a ski resort in the French Alps, local officials say. The 27-year-old man died after being buried in snow at a ski resort and carried about 15m (49ft) by the avalanche's force, according to local prosecutor Benoit Bachelet. The incident occurred at Val Thorens ski resort in the Savoie region of southwest France, shortly after 10am on Thursday. Mr Bachelet said nearby police officers were alerted to the incident by a witness, and the British man was pulled out of the snow. He added officers gave first aid to the man, who had entered cardiac arrest. He was taken to hospital in Grenoble, in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, where he died that evening, Mr Bachelet said. An investigation into the incident has been opened by the regional prosecutor's office. The prosecutor said the victim's family were being supported by local services. A Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities."
