Search efforts were crueled by avalanche, high wind, fog and cold after the group set out in "relatively good" conditions.
Five cross-country skiers — including members of the same Swiss family — have been found dead along a high Alpine ridge after goingChristian Varone, commander of Valais regional police, told a news conference in Sion, Switzerland, that six skiers set out in "relatively good" conditions on Saturday but that the situation deteriorated quickly.
Mountain rescuers and helicopters participate in a rescue mission at the Tete Blanche mountain in the Swiss alps mountains, on Sunday. They were on a route between the resort town of Zermatt, at the foot of the Matterhorn, and the village of Arolla, near the border with Italy.Varone said five of the six skiers were from a family from the Valais region, and a sixth person who lived in Fribourg in western Switzerland. He said they were aged between 21 and 58, without providing names or further details. He did not specify which person was still missing or indicate whether all the victims were relatives. "Unfortunately this region is accustomed to tragedies like this," he said, alluding to the deaths of seven hikers — six Italians and a Bulgarian — in the region in 2018. A relative of the family members alerted police on Saturday after the group didn't arrive in Arolla, as expected, on Saturday before nightfall.Commandant of the Valais Cantonal Police Christian Varone speaks during a press conference, in Sion, Switzerland, on Monday. One of the skiers was able to speak by phone with a rescue squad, paving the way for their location near the "Tête Blanche" ridge at roughly 3500 metres, police said. That triggered an immediate mobilisation of search teams. However, they were forced to turn around. Another search, hours later, had to be suspended because of poor weather conditions including avalanche, high wind, fog and cold, police said. Technical teams used mobile phone networks to pinpoint the location of the missing mountaineers. A helicopter squad then ferried in a team including a doctor, a police officer and two rescuers to a cabin on the "Dent Blanche" peak, near where they recovered the five bodies.Auto news:
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