Two people lost their lives due to a major serac fall at Grand Combin (VS) early Friday morning. Nine others were injured, two seriously. Seventeen mountaineers, divided into several groups, were on site.
Both victims died at the scene of the accident. It is a 40-year-old French national residing in France as well as a 65-year-old Spaniard residing in Spain, the cantonal police said on Friday afternoon.
Alerted around 6:20 a.m., the emergency services immediately went to the scene aboard seven helicopters from Air-Glaciers, Air-Zermatt and REGA. “The injured people were first freed from the accident site, then transported by two helicopters to a plateau located below, where first aid was provided”, says Air-Zermatt in a press release after intervention.
“From the size of chairs”
Large blocks of ice – seracs – broke off some 3,900 meters from Grand-Combin to crash 500 meters lower, in the “Plateau du Déjeuner” sector, while seventeen mountaineers divided into several groups were carrying out their ascent by the “Voie du Gardien”, in the town of Val de Bagnes.
At the scene of the accident, the pieces of ice fragmented by the fall “were the size of a chair” and spread over several hundred meters long and wide, details for Keystone-ATS the person in charge of the intervention at Air-Glaciers. The latter also notes that such falls of seracs “are very difficult to predict in the high mountains and could have occurred an hour faster or later. The mountaineers were unlucky”.
Two seriously injured
In total, nine mountaineers were airlifted to Sion hospital and to the CHUV in Lausanne. Two of them are seriously injured. Other mountaineers were evacuated by helicopter from the place of the event, said the cantonal police.
“Despite the seriousness of the intervention, we were able to act as well as possible thanks to a very structured organization, excellent management of the operation on the ground and very professional collaboration between the rescue team, the rescue specialists and the Valais Cantonal Relief Organization (OCVS)”, also notes an emergency doctor from Air Zermatt.
The Grand Combin is a peak culminating at 4314 meters, located between the Val de Bagnes and that of Entremont. The planned routes are often icy and to embark on its ascent, mountaineers wait for milder weather, so that the snow sticks. “They often aim for the long weekend of Ascension to try the adventure”, underlines the manager of Air-Glaciers.
After this accident, the police call for caution. “The golden rule is to find out beforehand about the chosen race and the feasibility of the moment with the guards and mountain guides”. The Public Prosecutor has opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of this event.
This article has been published automatically. Source: ats