Multiple Avalanche Deaths in French Alps

A British skier in his 50s died after being buried in an avalanche while skiing off-piste at the La Plagne resort in the French Alps on Sunday afternoon. The incident occurred in southeastern France, where rescue teams responded to an avalanche alert at 1:57 p.m. local time.

The man was part of a group when the snowslide struck, but he lacked an avalanche transceiver, a device that can help locate buried individuals, and was not accompanied by a professional instructor. Search efforts began immediately, involving around 52 rescuers, including medics, ski school instructors, and a dog deployed by helicopter to probe the snow. After 50 minutes, the team located him under 2.5 meters of snow, but he could not be revived. The resort issued a statement expressing condolences, saying its thoughts were with the man's family.

This tragedy unfolded amid heightened avalanche risks across the French Alps, where forecasters had issued warnings of level four out of five danger over the weekend due to unstable snow conditions. Officials in the Savoie region reported at least six avalanches in ski areas that Sunday morning alone. The British skier's death was one of several linked to the...