Avalanche
An avalanche at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps “buried” between 10-12 people Today, according to police in the southern Valais region. Police said in a tweet that the avalanche on the Plaine-Morte ski track in Crans Montana occurred at roughly 2:15 pm (8:15 am EST) and left “several people buried.”
Officers said rescue teams were at the scene. Local media quoted a regional official saying as many as 12 people could be missing. The avalanche struck during school holidays in much of Europe, so the slopes would have been busy.
Avalanche à Crans Montana sur la piste de Plaine Morte. Il y aurait des skieurs ensevelis pic.twitter.com/YgsCqXQMrt
— Laure Lugon Zugravu (@LaureLugon) February 19, 2019
Temperatures have warmed in recent days, leading to significant melting on the slopes which may have caused the slide. The Reuters news agency said the Crans Montana resort was due to host races of the women’s World Cup Alpine circuit in just a matter of days.
Local paper The Nouvelliste quoted the commune’s president Nicolas Feraud saying 10 to 12 people were believed to be trapped under the snow at Crans-Montana. Some skiers appeared to be looking for those buried while others stood helplessly gazing at the aftermath of the avalanche, according to reports.
“An avalanche occurred in the Plaine-Morte sector, search and rescue teams are on the site. Several people are buried,” Valais cantonal police said in a Tweet.
Tuesday’s avalanche unusually affected a ski track, whereas normally avalanches in the Alpine region affect people who are skiing off-piste.
According to reports, Crans-Montana’s website had rated the risk of an avalanche at two on a scale which goes from one (lowest risk) to five.
