Russian skier dies in major avalanche in Switzerland
A 58-year-old Russian skier died on Wednesday after being swept away by a large avalanche while skiing off piste at Nendaz in southern Switzerland.
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RTS/Valais police/sb
The skier was caught by a 300-400-metre-wide avalanche in the Tortin region at Nendaz, in canton Valais. The police saidExternal link it occurred around noon.
A major rescue operation was immediately launched involving eight helicopters, dog handlers and police. The dead man was pulled out from under the packed snow at around 5.30pm.
Much of the Alps has seen heavy snow over the past week. The Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF on Thursday reported a danger level of three on the scale of one to five for half of the country.
Since 1936, about 2,000 people have died in avalanches in Switzerland. On average, 24 people die in avalanches every year. Over the past 20 years, more than 90% of the fatalities occurred off-piste.
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Read more
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What’s triggering avalanches?
This content was published on
Avalanches are hard to predict. Researchers in Davos are simulating the effects of wind on fresh snow to better understand the dangerous phenomenon.
This content was published on
Switzerland and Austria have been awarded coveted Unesco intangible cultural heritage status for their management of avalanche risks.
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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.