Search for missing ski tourer in Valais discontinued
Published: Thursday, Mar 14th 2024, 19:20
Updated At: Thursday, Mar 14th 2024, 19:10
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Following last weekend's mountain accident in Valais with at least five fatalities, the search for the last missing person has been suspended. It is a 28-year-old woman from Fribourg. She was the one who made the emergency call.
The search for the sixth member of the group in the Tête Blanche region continued until Thursday, according to the Valais cantonal police. Unfortunately, the search was unsuccessful. After consultation with the family, the search has now been ended.
The deceased were five Valaisans from the same family: three brothers aged 21, 27 and 30, as well as a cousin aged 44 and an uncle aged 58. The missing woman was the girlfriend of one of the three brothers.
The operations were carried out in collaboration with the Cantonal Valais Rescue Organization (KWRO), the Swiss Army Air Force, the army's mountain specialists and Air-Glaciers. As with every missing person case, the cantonal police will carry out selective patrols in the affected area, as they also announced.
Caught in a storm
Six ski tourers were on the Haute Route from Zermatt to Arolla on Saturday. They got caught in a storm in the region of the Tête Blanche mountain. The group never reached their destination. A worried family member who was waiting for them there then informed the rescue services at around 4.00 pm.
About an hour later, the mountain rescue team was able to locate the group thanks to a call from the missing woman from Fribourg. However, a winter storm hampered the search, which involved around 35 people and eleven helicopters from Air Zermatt, Air-Glaciers and the army.
The search was interrupted due to the storm and continued on Sunday. In the end, the emergency services found five of the six ski tourers dead on Sunday evening at an altitude of around 3,500 meters above sea level. It is assumed that the alpinists froze to death.
As traces at the scene of the drama show, the victims had dug a hole in the snow, which should have provided her with some protection from the cold.
©Keystone/SDA
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