Avalanches killed 21 people in Switzerland this winter
This winter alone 21 people were killed by avalanches in Switzerland and 222 were affected by them. This is higher than the average recorded in the past 20 years, said the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) in Davos.
According to the SLF, 137 avalanches were reported in Switzerland during the winter of 2022-2023, affecting 222 people – nearly double the number of people affected in winters over the last 20 years.
Some 21 people lost their lives in avalanches, slightly higher than the average of 17 deaths recorded over the last 20 years. Most of those who died were on ski tours, with nine off-piste skiers losing their lives in avalanches. No deaths were recorded in ski areas.
+ What’s triggering avalanches?
The deadliest avalanche occurred on May 19 above Stechelberg in the town of Lauterbrunnen in canton Bern, which killed three people.
+Mountain accidents in Switzerland: the figures
In February, a series of avalanches over one weekend killed 11 people in Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Last week three Dutch climbers were found dead in the Swiss Canton of Valais after being surprised by an avalanche.
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