British teenager dies in Switzerland avalanche while on ski tour
A British teen died in an avalanche in Switzerland yesterday
Flickr
A British teen was killed by an avalanche in Switzerland yesterday, it has been confirmed.
The 18-year-old was found dead after being swept away by the onslaught of snow while on a ski tour in Meiringen, Bern.
Authorities are currently searching for a second person who was also caught in the disaster on Tuesday.
The age and gender of the missing person are unknown.
The fatal avalanche occurred at the Gstelliwang ski slope on the Wellhorn mountain in the Bernese Alps
Google Maps
The 18-year-old who died in the avalanche was originally from England but had been living in Bern.
The avalanche struck at around 4.25pm and mountain rescue teams and a helicopter were deployed to help survivors.
The fatal avalanche occurred at the Gstelliwang ski slope on the Wellhorn mountain in the Bernese Alps.
A group of people had been on a ski tour together when two of them drove down the Gstelliwang as an avalanche broke off and buried them both underneath, according to local police.
The emergency services could only recover one of the buried man, the 18-year-old Briton, who was pronounced dead.
The search for the second person had to be interrupted around 7.30pm local time last night and was resumed this morning at light.
Swiss Alpine Rescue Rega crews, Air-Glaciers, Swiss Helicopter helicopters, mountain specialists and other employees of the Bern canton police and the Canton of Bern Care Team are currently searching for the second individual.
Cantonal police warned at the time there was a high risk of avalanches in the mountains and appealed to skiers to consult weather reports on the snow, and avalanche risk situation before hitting the slopes.