30 December 2023 , 23:05
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Two cross-country skiers may have caused the avalanche which claimed the lives of a British mother and her son in the French Alps, it emerged today.
Police have launched a manslaughter hunt for two people who could be responsible for the deaths of the 54-year-old woman and her 22-year-old son. Authorities fear the pair were taken completely by surprise when hit by a torrent of ice and snow while off-piste in Saint-Gervais, a resort near Chamonix, on Thursday afternoon.
The mother and son had been skiing with three other family members and a freelance ski instructor, whom they had known for several years, the Bonneville Public Prosecutor's Office said on Friday. All were experienced skiers and were out on a day when the avalanche risk was just "moderate."
No one in the family was wearing an avalanche transceiver, which emits a silent signal that can be detected if buried under snow. The other family members, including the woman’s husband, as well as the ski instructor, survived the horror. On Saturday, it was revealed that "two cross-country skiers were upslope" and "could have caused the avalanche", according to Karline Bouisset, the prosecutor in Bonneville, near Grenoble.
Ms Bouisset has opened a criminal enquiry into "manslaughter" while judicial police collect evidence. The two cross-country skiers have been traced and will be helping investigators with their enquiries. None of the deceased or family have yet been named, but it was confirmed that the instructor was highly qualified and worked for the ESI International Ski School.
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Photos from the search in the aftermath of the avalancheIt is believed the instructor was quickly removed from impacted snow because he was the only member of the party wearing an avalanche victim detector. But 30 rescuers, supported by two helicopters, two dogs and a medical support team, took up to five hours to find the mother and son.
Another investigating source said the five survivors who were not buried by snow "looked on as the others were swept away. This included the husband, who would have watched what was happening helplessly."
Guy Le Nevé, deputy commander of the mountain search team in Chamonix, said: "This is an area reserved for very good skiers. This is a group who had known the instructor very well for many years and who regularly came to ski in the area." However, Saint-Gervais mayor Jean-Marc Peillex said weather conditions had been too unstable for such outings.
He told BFM television: "It rained, it snowed, it was warm. There are enough marked paths to ski on. It's terrible what happened. A family is decimated and we are very sad in Saint-Gervais."
There was another Alpine fatality on the same day when a 31-year-old man fell 500 metres from a rocky ridge in Chantepérier, in the Ecrins Massif. A foreign office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of two British people who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities."