Terrible tragedy It happened that day Swiss Alps When a group Skier fell in a severe storm As a result 5 When the sixth group of them is searched, Death freezes.
“The picture we found was ugly… We saw ski trippers trying to make a cave and shelter from the storm,” the rescue chief said. wind Zermatt He conducted the rescue mission.
“Passengers froze to death More heightdiverted,” he said, adding that their bodies were found Scattered In the area, they say they panicked before losing consciousness. The saddest thing is All the 5 deceased belonged to the same family.
They started out in dire circumstances
The team started from Zermatt on Saturday morning with the aim of reaching Arola City, then near the Matterhorn mountain. Despite dire weather forecasts, the skiers decided to hit the trail, but were stranded in a heavy blizzard. At an altitude of about 3,500 meters.
A member of the crew sent a distress signal For emergency services As of 5:00 p.m. Saturday, according to officials, helicopters and rescue teams could not be dispatched in time due to the intensity of the storm.
They will die in two minutes
The Christian VaroneThe head of the Valais canton's police told reporters that rescue teams were doing everything they could to reach the stranded skiers, but they were facing terrible conditions.
“We attempted the impossible”, The mission, he said, pushed its efforts “intensely” but “had to go back to avoid putting lives on the line. rescuers».
“Extremely strong winds, heavy snow, high avalanche danger and zero visibility” will leave rescuers stranded, he said. “He died in two minutes.”
“Sometimes you have to 'bend' to nature.”
They tried to make an ice cave
On Sunday, a group of two LifeguardsA doctor and a police officer finally managed to get off Helicopter Proximity, step custody.
“Around 9:20, he came to the department Dead blanche, “He found the bodies of five of the six missing people,” he said in a statement. Apparently, they tried to build something like a cave to protect themselves from the storm and the cold. In the end, they didn't make it.
The search for the last missing crew member continues.
“As long as there is hope, we will continue … and be realistic based on the circumstances that this person is in.” last 48 hours”He said.