Three skiers have been killed by an avalanche in the luxury resort of Val d'Isere in the French Alps. Only a few skiers escaped the avalanche, while a British national suffered minor injuries, according to a prosecutor.
The victims were part of a group of four skiers who were skiing off-piste, accompanied by a professional instructor. All were equipped with avalanche safety equipment, including transmitters, shovels and probes, the Daily Mail writes.
Prosecutor Bachelet added that alcohol and drug tests on the instructor came back negative, while the ski resort chief, Cedric Bonnevie, stressed that one of the victims appeared to have been trapped high up on the slope, while the other two were lower down and could not have anticipated the avalanche that swept them away.
Earlier, Meteo-France had issued a red alert for avalanche danger in the local area. A few days earlier, two other skiers died after an avalanche in the French Alps, while another died in Montgenevre.
Avalanches have become a constant threat to skiers this season, causing at least 20 deaths in the French, Swiss, Italian and Austrian Alps.
