Nine other climbers were injured by falling large blocks of ice. They were airlifted to two hospitals in Lausanne.
Two mountaineers – a French and a Spaniard – were killed and 9 others injured by the fall of seracs (large blocks of ice) in the south-west of Switzerland on Friday May 27, the police said in a press release.
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Seventeen mountaineers were at an altitude of 3400 meters, in the sector of “Lunch Tray» during the ascent of the Grand-Combin, when they were caught by the seracs. “Two people died at the scene of the accident. They are a 40-year-old French national residing in France and a 65-year-old Spaniard residing in Spain.“, said the police. Nine mountaineers, two of whomseriously injured“Were airlifted to two hospitals in Lausanne, said the press release from the authorities.
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Other mountaineers were evacuated by helicopter from the scene of the accident. In total, seven helicopters intervened as well as about forty rescuers. The police reminded that it was necessary to be extra careful or even to give up the planned outings when the threshold of 0 degrees is around 4000 meters. The Grand-Combin culminates at 4314 meters and is the second highest peak in French-speaking Switzerland.
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