Arolla is part of the challenging annual Patrouille des Glacier race
Keystone/Mammut. Christian Gisi
At least three skiers and mountaineers have lost their lives in separate avalanches in the Swiss Alps over the weekend.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-ATS/ac
Four others were injured, according to police.
An off-piste skier was in a group of four that were swept away by an avalanche on Saturday near a steep gorge above the village of Arolla in the Valais region.
Rescue services managed to reach them and they were transported to hospital. However, a 40-year old woman died on Saturday night in the hospital. The other three hikers are recovering but are not in danger of losing their lives.
An avalanche swept away two mountaineers on Saturday near the mountain resort of Gstaad in the Bernese Oberland. One of them was able to pull himself out of the snow on his own and alert emergency services. Seriously injured, the second was transported by helicopter to the hospital, where he died during the night.
Another person died in the same region on Sunday. Police said a 55-year-old woman was ski-touring near Château d’Oex, when a windslab swept her and her companion away.
More
More
Record number of avalanche blasts in Switzerland
This content was published on
This winter has already seen a record number of dynamite-triggered avalanches in the Swiss Alps. The reason is the huge amount of snowfall.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Swiss federal prosecutor bemoans shortage of investigators
This content was published on
The Swiss Office of the Attorney General complains of unresolved shortage of investigators that hinder its efforts to prosecute serious criminals.
ECHR condemns Swiss failure to protect woman from violence
This content was published on
Switzerland did not provide a woman with sufficient protection against her partner who had been violent in the past, rules the ECHR.
This content was published on
In Switzerland, 2.2 million people are affected by non-communicable diseases, partly because people are not eating a balanced diet.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Record number of avalanche blasts in Switzerland
This content was published on
This winter has already seen a record number of dynamite-triggered avalanches in the Swiss Alps. The reason is the huge amount of snowfall.
This content was published on
How are Swiss mountain trails kept safe in an era of landslides like the one that struck the town of Bondo last week, leaving eight hikers missing?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.