Boy, 12, Survives Avalanche After Being Buried for Nearly an Hour: A 'True Miracle'
A 12-year-old boy is lucky to be alive after being buried under an avalanche for 40 minutes.
The pre-teen was skiing off-piste at the La Plagne ski resort in the French Alps when he was taken under by snow, the Associated Press reported.
Police say the child, who has not been identified, was swept away when a large section of snow detached and plunged down the mountain. He was reportedly dragged at least 110 yards with the avalanche, according to the AP.
Emergency responders immediately flew by helicopter to the scene, which was at 7,875-foot altitude.
Moments later, a search and rescue dog found the boy and he was airlifted to safety.
The boy’s snow coat was not equipped with an avalanche detector, ABC News reported.
Due to the severity of the situation, officials are calling the incident “miraculous” as chances of surviving being buried under an avalanche are very slim.
A person has a 90 percent chance to live if they are freed from the snow within the first 15 minutes, Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit says on their website.
After about 30 minutes, those odds decrease to about 50 percent.
Police explained that the boy was able to survive because his airways were not blocked by the snow, ABC News reported.
After being rescued, the boy was taken to a local hospital. It is not clear at this time if he suffered any minor injuries.
“We can call it a miracle. A day after Christmas, there was another gift in store,” Captain Patrice Ribes said in a statement to multiple outlets.
