SKY NEWS
Two British skiers have been killed by an avalanche on Mont Blanc in France.
Mountain rescuers found a 54-year-old mother and her 22-year-old son dead under snow that hit a narrow gulley around Saint-Gervais, a resort near Chamonix, on Thursday afternoon.
Officials believe it may have been triggered by two ski tourers who were uphill of the British family, skiing in the Pirolettes couloir.
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.
No one in the family was wearing an avalanche transceiver, which emits a silent signal that can be detected if buried under snow.
A major search and rescue operation was immediately launched, involving around 20 rescuers, two dog teams, a doctor and two helicopters.
The team rescued one other injured person, reportedly an instructor, and five further people.
