Several alpinists were hit by chunks of ice on the Grand-Combin massif in the canton of Valais. Two people died as a result.
The Grand Combin massif south of Martigny in the canton of Valais.
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At the Grand Combin in the canton of Valais, chunks of ice fell on mountaineers on Friday morning. According to the Valais canton police, two people died. Nine other alpinists were injured in the accident. According to the police, other climbers who were on site were evacuated in a large-scale rescue operation.
The fatalities are a 40-year-old French woman and a 65-year-old Spaniard. The nine injured climbers were flown to a hospital by helicopter. Two of them were seriously injured, police said.
According to the police, a total of 17 alpinists were on site. The fall occurred at an altitude of 3400 meters in the “Plateau du Déjeuner” area, during the ascent to the Grand Combin via the “Voie du Gardien”. At 6:20 a.m. an alarm went off. Air Glaciers, Air Zermatt and Rega deployed a total of seven helicopters.
The summit of the Grand Combin is 4314 meters above sea level. The massif lies south of Martigny between the Val de Bagnes and Val d’Entremont valleys. Prosecutors have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of the event.