Avalanches kill 10 people across three deadly days in the Swiss Alps
It has been a deadly few days in the Swiss alps.
Police confirm seven skiers were killed in avalanches on Saturday (January 31), despite warnings from authorities on the dangers of off-piste skiing.
Three other people died in the mountain region between Thursday and Friday (January 29-30), taking the death toll to ten people in three days.
Security officials in the area say up to 1.20 metres of snow have fallen in recent days. Snow cover is said to be particularly unstable, which led authorities to declare some areas to be at a ‘considerable’ risk of avalanche.
At this risk level – the third-highest of a five-tier scale – even the smallest disruption can trigger an avalanche.