Norwegian and French officials confirmed Wednesday night that four Norwegian skiers were killed in an avalanche in the French Alps earlier in the day. They were part of a group of skiers trekking in the Savoie region close to the Italian border.
Norway’s foreign ministry told state broadcaster NRK that the Norwegian Embassy in Paris was working with French authorities on the case. The identities of those killed remained unclear, and were pending notification of next of kin.
French news bureau AFP reported that no one else in the group of skiers was injured or killed. The local mayor in the area described the avalanche as “very large,” and said all those involved were equipped with electronic devices making it easier to find them under masses of snow.
The avalanche was the latest of several others in the area this month, two of which also resulted in fatalities. It unleashed a major emergency response involving around 20 rescue workers and specially trained dogs.
NewsinEnglish.no staff