American teen among 3 killed in avalanche near popular Swiss resort
An American teenager and two other people were killed in an avalanche at a Swiss ski resort Monday.
The bodies of a 15-year-old boy from the US and an unidentified man and woman were pulled from the snow near the Zermatt resort after an avalanche rushed down the Riffelberg ski slopes shortly after 2 p.m., local police said in French.
A fourth victim, a 20-year-old Swiss man, was rescued from the snow but was seriously injured. He was airlifted to the hospital, according to cops in Valais canton.
Investigators are working to identify the man and woman killed. They have not released the name of the teen.
The four victims had been skiing in an ungroomed, backcountry ski area of Zermatt — which calls itself “Europe’s highest ski resort” — when the avalanche buried them alive.
Rescuers suspended the search on the mountainside Monday evening, police said. It’s unclear whether there are any additional missing skiers or snowboarders.
The investigation is ongoing.
Last month, five members of one family went missing while cross-country skiing in inclement weather conditions near the Matterhorn. All five of the Swiss family members were found dead while a sixth missing person was never found.
With Post wires