Tragic Avalanche Claims Life of Irish Tourist in Swiss Alps

A 53-YEAR-OLD Irish man has died after being seriously injured in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps, local authorities have confirmed. Swiss police said the avalanche occurred on 13 January in an off-piste area of the Six Noir ski region above the village of Ovronnaz in the Wallis canton. The man was part of a group of three ski tourists descending the east face of Six Noir from an area known as the Trou de Bougnonne when the avalanche broke loose at an altitude of around 2,360 metres shortly before 12.30pm. The Irish man was swept away by the snow, while the other two skiers immediately raised the alarm and located the buried man using avalanche transceivers. Rescue teams from the Valais Cantonal Rescue Organisation were dispatched to the scene, with two Air-Glaciers helicopters deployed. Advertisement Police said the man was recovered from the snow and resuscitated at the scene before being airlifted to hospital in the city of Sion. He died from his injuries last night. Swiss authorities have confirmed that the deceased was an Irish national. The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the incident. The death comes amid a deadly period for avalanches in the region, with several fatal incidents reported across the Swiss Alps in recent days. In the Wallis canton alone, multiple skiers and snowboarders have died in avalanches since mid-January, including former Olympic snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz. Elsewhere in Switzerland and neighbouring Austria, a number of fatal avalanches have also been reported during the same period.