Zurich, Switzerland— An avalanche tore down a slope in the Swiss Alps Thursday, killing two climbers and leaving a third critically injured after the group was swept off a high-altitude ridge.
The avalanche hit at around 10:40 a.m. local time near the Dent Blanche area in Valais canton, at roughly 3,800 meters elevation, according to cantonal police and Swissinfo. The three climbers were roped together on an exposed traverse when a slab of wind-loaded snow released above them. They fell about 400 meters.
A fourth climber, slightly behind the group, witnessed the slide and triggered an emergency beacon. Rega, the Swiss air rescue service, dispatched a helicopter within minutes, but high winds delayed arrival. Two victims were found buried under more than a meter of snow and pronounced dead on site. The third, a 28-year-old Swiss woman, was dug out alive with severe trauma and hypothermia and airlifted to a hospital in Sion.
"The slab was hard, the slope was 35 to 40 degrees, and it broke wide," a rescue coordinator said. "These were experienced climbers with proper equipment. The conditions turned."
October avalanches are early but not uncommon in the high Alps, where autumn storms lay fresh snow over summer ice, creating a weak layer. The Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research had rated the danger as 3, considerable, above 3,000 meters, warning of wind slabs on north-facing slopes. The route, a classic autumn climb, had seen several parties that week.
The victims were identified as Swiss nationals, two men aged 31 and 37, part of a regional alpine club. The club said they were well-trained and had checked the bulletin that morning. That bulletin had flagged exactly this type of slab as the main hazard.
Rescue operations in Valais have been stretched this month as unseasonably warm weather followed by sudden snow created unstable conditions. Helicopters have flown more than 20 rescue missions in the past 10 days. Guides in Zermatt and Saas-Fee said they had canceled several high routes this week.
Police said an investigation was standard procedure but that no negligence was suspected. Equipment including avalanche transceivers and airbags was recovered. One airbag had deployed, but the fall distance made survival unlikely.
By late afternoon, the rescue helicopter had left the mountain. Clouds were moving in, and new snow was starting to fall on the slide track.
The slope remained closed, marked with red flags.
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