British woman dies in avalanche in French Alps - BBC

A British woman, 45, has died aft getting caught successful an avalanche portion hiking with 2 different radical successful the French Alps, rescue services person said.

The mishap happened connected Saturday connected the Argentière Glacier, 1 of Mont Blanc's biggest glaciers.

The specializer precocious upland hunt and rescue portion of the French constabulary successful Chamonix said it was alerted by a usher astatine astir 17:00 section clip (16:00 GMT).

Rescue workers and a doc were sent by chopper to rescue her.

But they were incapable to revive the woman, said Colonel Bertrand Host of the upland rescue unit.

Police person launched an probe into the woman's death.

The section nationalist prosecutor's bureau said the pistillate and her spouse had been Nordic skiing with a precocious upland usher and were going up the Col du Tour Noir erstwhile the avalanche happened.

The bureau confirmed determination was an avalanche informing hazard of 3 connected a standard of 5 successful spot connected Saturday.

The authoritative has opened a manslaughter probe to find the circumstances of the woman's decease and has ordered a post-mortem examination.

Mont Blanc, occidental Europe's highest upland astatine 4,810 metres (nearly 16,000 feet), attracts 20,000 hikers and skiers each year.

Warmer temperatures successful caller years person melted permafrost - permanently frozen crushed - raising the hazard of stone falls connected the astir fashionable routes.

Last August, authorities closed down 2 fashionable upland shelters utilized by Mont Blanc climbers due to the fact that of perchance deadly drought-related rockfalls.

Melting snowfall is besides believed to assistance trigger avalanches.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said it was providing assistance to the woman's family.