German killed in Swiss avalanche, four other skiers hurt: Police
The Schaufelferner Glacier at the Stubai ski area sits near Innsbruck, Austria, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. The platforms below show snow cannons and the prescribed grooves to drain the water so that the slope does not erode. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
GENEVA: A German man has been killed in an avalanche in the Swiss alps and four other people were hurt as they were cross-country skiing, Swiss police said Saturday (Jan 17).
The incident happened on Friday, on the Piz Badus peak near the village of Tujetsch in the centre-south of the country.
Police said a group of seven cross-country skiers were swept up in the avalanche, with five of them buried underneath.
One member of the party raised the alarm in a phone call to local police, who deployed helicopters with rescue workers and dogs to the site.
The German man was found lifeless under the snow and ice, the police said, adding that the four others hurt - whose nationalities were not given - suffered light injuries and were flown to nearby hospitals.
