A tragedy occurred last night in the mountain range.
Tragedy in the Alps. A deadly avalanche broke out in the mountain range on the night of Sunday 4 to Monday 5 August 2024. A group of 15 people were swept away by a falling block of ice, while they were at an altitude of 4,100 metres, at the summit of Mont Tacul, one of the peaks of the Mont-Blanc massif. In a press release, the Haute-Savoie prefecture indicated that one person was killed in the avalanche and four others were injured. The other 10 people escaped unharmed, the State services specified.
The first elements reported by the authorities indicate that the tragedy occurred around 3am. In the middle of the night, a serac (block of ice) fell “naturally” and took away five of the 15 climbers who were progressing in their ascent. The deployment of helicopters, dog squads as well as various vehicles from the SDIS and SAMU made it possible to take care of the entire group. All the victims were evacuated to the hospitals of Sallanches and Annecy.
According to the elements collected by France Bleu Country of Savoythe climber who lost his life is French, although his age is not known. The group was made up of other French people, but also Swiss and Spanish.
The tragedy occurred on the so-called “3 Monts” route. This is a circuit of ascent of Mont Blanc passing by the Aiguille du Midi, then by Mont Blanc du Tacul, then Mont Maudit, before reaching the highest European summit.
The summer of 2024 is grim in the French Alps since, before this tragedy, a tragic series of five deaths in two days had been recorded at the end of June. The authorities are calling for the greatest caution while operations to secure the area continue this Monday morning, in order to determine whether or not a new avalanche could be triggered.