Ski tourer in Bivio GR swept away by avalanche and killed
Published: Friday, Dec 8th 2023, 10:40
Updated At: Friday, Dec 8th 2023, 10:40
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The first fatal avalanche accident of the season has occurred in Graubünden. A 42-year-old ski tourer from Italy was swept away and killed by an avalanche in Bivio GR on Thursday morning. Another man was flown to hospital in a critical condition.
Three Italians were traveling down the slope from Piz Grevasalvas in the direction of Bivio GR, as the cantonal police of Graubünden wrote on Friday. The avalanche caught the two 42-year-olds and swept them away.
When the rescue teams arrived at the avalanche site with three helicopters and two avalanche search dog teams, they found the uninjured 32-year-old ski tourer searching for his two friends. After around an hour, the buried victims were located. One man was already dead.
The second buried victim was still in "very critical condition" on Friday, as a police spokesman told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
It is the seventh avalanche accident in total this winter. In all other cases, the missing people were rescued alive. Last winter, in the 2022/23 season, there were 17 accidents with 23 fatalities. According to the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), there is currently a moderate avalanche risk in the Alpine region.
©Keystone/SDA
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