Avalanches in French Alps Claim Six Lives, Including Five Off-Piste Skiers

Four Norwegian skiers and one Swiss skier were killed in separate avalanches, with authorities warning of heightened avalanche risks in the region.

Two avalanches in the French Alps on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of five skiers, all of whom were skiing off-piste.
Four Norwegian skiers died near Val-Cenis in the Savoy region when a large avalanche struck their group of seven; one victim died at a hospital after being airlifted.
A Swiss woman was killed in a separate avalanche near Vallorcine, north of the Mont-Blanc Massif, while skiing with her father and brother, who survived.
Authorities in the Haute-Savoie region have issued warnings about increased avalanche risks due to current snow conditions.
Earlier in the week, a 55-year-old skier with dual Brazilian-Portuguese citizenship died in an avalanche in the Mont-Blanc Massif.