ROME, March 19 (AP) — Rescue teams were searching Sunday for two skiers caught in an avalanche near Mont Blanc in northern Italy on the border with France, local authorities said.
Two surviving skiers raised the alarm shortly after the Val Veny avalanche above Courmayeur, but low clouds prevented helicopters from reaching it, Courmayeur mayor Roberto Rota told Sky TG24 on site.
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Rescuers were heading to the scene on snowmobiles, but Rota said the chances of finding the skier alive were slim given the time that had passed.
Rota said the four skiers were amateurs who went up the mountain without a guide or proper avalanche safety equipment, though he added that the avalanche airbags would only be activated if rescuers were nearby and within the first 15 to 20 minutes. it works.
“Unfortunately, 99 percent of people don’t make it,” he said.
Rota said Sunday’s avalanche risk in the region was a “considerable” hazard three out of five risk levels – low, medium, considerable, high and very high – used by the European avalanche warning service. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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