The cause of the avalanche is unknown, and local authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.
Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
A 70-year-old Swiss man was killed in an avalanche on Friday while returning to Zermatt after a day of skiing.
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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.
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