Six people died in Switzerland over the weekend in accidents in the Alps, officials said on Sunday.
Near the luxury resort of Zermatt, rescuers found the bodies of five people, police said in a statement.
A helicopter was sent to survey the area around the Rimpfischhorn mountain after climbers alerted authorities after spotting abandoned skis near the summit on Saturday.
Photo: Police Cantonale Valalaisanne/ AFP
“The bodies of five people were quickly found,” Swiss police said in a statement.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident and were working to identify the victims, it said.
The Rimpfischhorn is a 4,199m mountain that lies east of Zermatt, near the Italian border, and is popular with backcountry skiers.
AVALANCHE
Further north, a 29-year-old was killed in an avalanche on the Morgenhorn in the Bern canton, police said.
Two other climbers caught in the avalanche were rescued and hospitalized with light injuries, police said.
Outdoor sports are a popular pastime in mountainous Switzerland and accidents are a regular feature of winter.
During the current winter season, between Oct. 1 last year and May 17, 15 people have been killed in avalanches, according to the Institute for the Study of Snow and Avalanches.
In March last year, six backcountry skiers died — five of them members of the same family — after being caught in a violent storm in the peaks near Zermatt.
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