Powerful avalanche came down the slope in the Italian Alps and covered a group of skiers VIDEO
The incident occurred near the Courmayeur resort. Eyewitnesses captured photos and videos of a huge mass of snow rapidly descending a steep slope towards people, writes The Independent.
Initially, the skiers seemed unaware of the danger — some even continued to move directly towards the avalanche. Only moments before the snow came down, many began to flee in a hurry.
As a result of this avalanche, at least three French skiers died, having been buried under 1.5 meters of snow. Rescuers were unable to extract them in time. One died at the scene, and two others later died in hospitals.
Italian rescuers warned that after heavy snowfalls, the situation in the mountains had become particularly dangerous. New snow, along with wind-packed snowdrifts lying on weak underlying layers, creates a high risk of avalanches. According to Federico Catania, a representative of the Italian Alpine Rescue Corps, in such conditions, even a single skier or a natural increase in snow mass load can trigger a collapse.
It was also previously reported about an avalanche in the mountains of Northern California, where a group of skiers was caught under the snow, and ten people are considered missing.