Fatal avalanche near Bellevaux (Portes du Soleil)

Two men were swept away by an avalanche yesterday at midday, in the town of Bellevaux, about twenty miles from Thonon-les-Bains (Haute Savoie).

The two men were climbing a couloir below the Pointe de Chalune, when they triggered the release of a wind slab.

Both men were carried down the couloir and then 30 metres over a rocky ledge. Witnesses raised the alarm. Upon arrival of the helicopter rescue team from the PGHM (mountain police) to Chamonix, one of the two victims had already died.

From the region

40 years old, the victim was from the local region. The second, aged 47, was evacuated to hospital in a serious condition.

An investigation was initiated by the PGHM.