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5 People Caught in an Avalanche in Verbier Yesterday

One girl buried in a slide in the Pointe des Mines area

featured in News & reviews Author Ellie Mahoney, Verbier Editor Updated

Early yesterday afternoon a party of 5 people were swept away by an avalanche north of the pointe des Mines in Verbier ski area.

A wind slab of around 100m long and 50m was triggered on a north facing slope by the party, in an area that was closed for safety reasons.

Four of the skiers managed to get themselves out of the debris, but one girl (a 17 year old French girl) was buried and had to be pulled out by rescue teams with avalanche dogs. She was taken to hospital in Sion for treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival.

It seems none of the people were equipped with avalanche transceivers.

The avalanche risk is high today and likely to remain that way with more snow due on the forecast. If pistes are closed, it's for a reason, so please respect that and stay safe.

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