Key takeaways:
- Six people killed and one injured in an avalanche near Mont Blanc in the French Alps
- Avalanche spread across an area of 1 kilometer by 500 meters, at an altitude of 3,500 meters
- Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin deployed emergency workers, one person sent to the hospital with minor injuries
Six people have been killed and one injured in an avalanche that struck the French Alps near Mont Blanc on Sunday.
The avalanche occurred at the Armancette glacier in Contamines-Montjoie, in the Haute-Savoie region, almost 20 miles southwest of Chamonix. According to a spokesperson for the local authorities of Haute-Savoie, the avalanche spread across an area of 1 kilometer by 500 meters, at an altitude of 3,500 meters (11,480 feet). France-Bleu radio station put the size of the avalanche at 3,280 feet long and 328 feet wide.
Clouds of snow rolled down the mountainside, according to video footage shared by Reuters that was tweeted by a nearby ski station, Contamines-Montjoie. The prosecutor’s office in Bonneville, in the Haute-Savoie region, said a sixth body was found after searches resumed Monday morning.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted on Sunday that emergency workers were deployed after the incident. One person was sent to the hospital with minor injuries.
The Alps are a popular vacation spot over France’s long Easter weekend. The local authorities of Haute-Savoie are investigating the cause of the avalanche.
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