Swiss authorities reported that an avalanche in the ski resort town of Zermatt resulted in the deaths of three individuals, with another person sustaining injuries.
The avalanche occurred as the southern regions of the Swiss and Austrian Alps were under alert for such incidents. Following the avalanche, a rescue operation was initiated, leading to the discovery of the bodies of the deceased.
The identities of the victims have not been released by the Swiss police, nor has there been any information regarding additional missing individuals post the incident.
The police department of the Valais canton, located in southwestern Switzerland where the avalanche took place, announced that the search efforts would be temporarily halted for the day after the bodies were found.
The extensive snow accumulation in the area posed significant challenges to the search teams.
Earlier in the day, the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (WLF), situated in Davos, Switzerland, had warned of the potential for “very large and occasionally extremely large spontaneous avalanches” in the southern Swiss Alps.
Data from the WLF up to the end of March indicates that this winter, avalanches in Switzerland have claimed 14 lives across twelve separate incidents.
Earlier this month, five skiers, four of whom were from the same family, were found dead following their disappearance during a ski trip in Switzerland.
The group vanished near the Tete Blanche mountain on the route from Zermatt to Arolla, close to the iconic Matterhorn, which is situated on the border of Switzerland and Italy.
Bad weather conditions and the risk of avalanches made the search difficult, but a team of rescuers eventually found five bodies, police said. The sixth missing person is still being sought.
