British woman and son killed after Mont Blanc avalanche hits ski resort area

A British woman and her son have died after an avalanche swept through an off-piste area of a French ski resort.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it was supporting the family of two Britons who died.

The 54-year-old mother and her 22-year-old son had been skiing with other family members, according to the Bonneville public prosecutor’s office.

Another skier, reportedly an instructor, has been left injured and a hiker was killed in a separate area after the avalanche on Mont Blanc.

An FCDO spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of two British people who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities.”

The avalanche hurtled through an off-piste section of the Saint-Gervais-les-Bains ski resort on Thursday, according to the administration for the Haute-Savoie region.

A search-and-rescue effort was deployed, including around 20 rescuers, two dog teams, a doctor and two helicopters, lasting around five hours.

The avalanche may have been caused by cross-country skiers who were uphill, the Bonneville public prosecutor’s office said.

It added that a manslaughter investigation has been opened by police in Chamonix and that post-mortem examinations will take place in the coming days at the medical-legal institute in Grenoble.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that Saint-Gervais mayor Jean-Marc Peillex called weather conditions too unstable for such outings.

He told BFM television: “It rained, it snowed, it was warm. There are enough marked paths to ski on.

“It’s terrible what happened. A family is decimated, and we are very sad in Saint-Gervais.”

A 31-year-old hiker was found dead after falling on the slope of the Ecrins mountain range, AP reported.

According to the news agency, local broadcaster France-Bleu said rescuers explained the hiker had stepped away from hiking paths to look at mountain goats.