PARIS, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Two separate avalanches in the French Alps killed three people and injured four, local authorities and French media reported on Tuesday.
Around noon, a large landslide, about 300 meters wide, swept away a road and a trail in the town of Valloire, in southeast France, the Savoie prefecture said in a statement.
Rescue teams, including mountain police, firefighters, canine units and army experts, were mobilized for more than four hours before operations were halted in the late afternoon due to the risk of further avalanches, the city hall added.
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Two of the injured were in serious condition and were evacuated by helicopter to nearby hospitals, city hall said.
French broadcaster BFMTV also reported, citing the Gap city prosecutor, that two skiers died earlier in an off-piste avalanche in La Grave, in the neighboring Hautes-Alpes region.
Meteorological agency Meteo France reported that Savoie remained on orange avalanche alert for Tuesday, but signaled an improvement in the coming days.
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The deaths come as France faces heavy blizzards in the Alps and flooding in several western regions following days of heavy rain.
Last Friday, three skiers died after being swept away by an avalanche in the luxury French alpine ski resort of Val d’Isère.
