Avalanche kills man and 11-year-old daughter in French Alps, two others injured in Swiss Alps avalanche
Authorizes say an 11-year-old girl and her father have died while others were left injured after a series of dangerous avalanches swept Alpine ski resorts in France and Switzerland. Two hikers were injured after being caught up in a different avalanche in the Swiss Alps.
According to the Associated Press, officials in France's Savoie region said the fatal avalanche occurred Sunday at the Val-d'Isere ski resort, close to the Italian border.
Local newspaper Le Dauphine said on its website that the two victims were a 44-year-old man and his 11-year-old daughter from the Paris region.
The avalanche risk in the area is currently level three out of five, meaning there is the likelihood of fresh snow tumbling down the slopes.
Le Dauphine reported the two were skiing on a run that was closed due to the avalanche risk. The alarm was triggered by a horrified skier who saw what happened.
According to Fox News, Swiss media initially reported that 10 people were buried by the other avalanche, in the southern state of Valais.
However, a Valais police spokesman Stefan Leger said only two people pulled from the snow Sunday were hospitalized.
The canton of Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland, in the southwestern part of the country. It is very popular with skiers for its high mountains.
