Two Estonian skiers were killed in an avalanche in the French Alps

Two Estonian skiers were killed in an avalanche that occurred on Sunday while they were outside the ski area in Val d’Isère in the French Alps, rescue teams reported to Agence France-Presse.
The two victims were part of a group of six Estonian skiers skiing off-course and not equipped with the necessary avalanche tools “when a block 100 meters wide and 300 meters long broke off,” according to a statement from Val d’Isere authorities.
Relief teams told Agence France-Presse that four men in their thirties were covered in snow, one of them up to the waist who managed to get out quickly.

Rescue the skiers

Officers were able to rescue one of the skiers in less than ten minutes, and he was still conscious and breathing.
Teams equipped with dogs found two other victims whose hearts had stopped, one after more than 40 minutes of the avalanche, and the other after more than 50 minutes, and relief teams confirmed that they died immediately.
The risk of avalanches was “high” on Sunday, as the index reached 4 out of 5 in several blocks in the Northern Alps and Hautes-Alpes, after recent days witnessed snowfall.

Avalanches

The French Meteorological Authority indicated in its forecasts that the places where avalanches are expected to occur are in high mountains and “they often cannot be identified visually, because they are caused by a permanent fragile layer buried within the snow cover.”
This layer was formed during hurricanes and was covered by the snow that recently fell.
The snowfall was accompanied by strong winds, which facilitated the formation of blocks and increased the possibility of their collapse.