Authorities said on May 25 that the bodies of five skiers were found on a glacier above the Swiss resort of Zermatt, where two hikers reported seeing abandoned skis near the 4,000-meter peak in the Valais Alps.
An aircraft with emergency doctors, paramedics and two Vales Rescue experts flew over the area immediately.
Vales Guangzhou police said Sunday that the victim was located on the Adler Glacier after aerial and ground searches. According to CNN, three of the bodies were found to be 500 meters away from the abandoned skis on the avalanche cone. (Avalanche cones are sediments of snow and other debris formed at the bottom of the avalanche path.)
According to Air Zermatt, two other bodies were found to be 200 meters tall.
Formal identity of victims is still underway and their nationality has not been released.
Authorities have investigated this situation. Weather conditions and avalanche activity in the area are being inspected as part of the probe.
This is not the first time skier death has been found in the Swiss Alps.
In March 2024, five cross-country skiers were found on the top of the Swiss Alps.
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A group of skiers, including five family members from Vales, have set off from Zermatt to Zermatt, a famous resort in Matter Horn, to reach the village of Arolla, part of the tough “Haute Route” Alpine Trail.
The bodies of five skiers are located on the ridge of Tête Blanche (White Head) at an altitude of about 3500 meters, one of the highest peaks of the advanced route.
When skiers set out, the conditions in the area were “relatively better”, but the weather deteriorated rapidly.
Shortly after 6 p.m. that evening, a rescuer set out from Zermatt to find skiers. Rescuers managed to reach an altitude of 3,000 meters, but were forced to retreat due to extreme winds and cold. At 9 p.m., the second search was suspended due to the risk of avalanche.
Mountain rescue workers and helicopters participated in a rescue mission in the Swiss Alps near Sion, Switzerland on March 10, 2024.
Valais Cantonal Police via AP
Eventually, the rescue team arrived at the missing ski team and found that five people showed no signs of life.
“Unfortunately, the area is used to such tragedies,” Wallon told reporters, referring to the deaths of seven hikers – six Italians and one Bulgarian – in 2018. Hikers fell into a storm overnight and fell into death.
– Related to Global News and Associated Press documents
