Avalanche kills septuagenarian skier in Zermatt
A 70-year-old Swiss man was killed in an avalanche on Friday while returning to Zermatt after a day of skiing.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in the Furgg Garten region near the Swiss ski resort of Zermatt. The cause of the avalanche – off the marked pistes at an altitude of 2,730 metres – is still unknown. The skier was part of a group of six people accompanied by a ski instructor.
After a day of skiing, the group was heading from Cervinia in neighbouring Italy to Zermatt. The victim was buried under the mass of snow in the path of the avalanche, according to a statement released by local police on Saturday.
The other members of the group immediately alerted rescue services but the 70-year-old was already dead when they arrived on the scene. The public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the accident.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.