Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you, first.

3 die in icy Mont Blanc avalanche, bodies are dug out

CP1119398202
FILE - This Feb. 19, 2003 file photo shows Mont Blanc, western Europe\'s highest mountain. The mountain rescue team chief in the French town of Chamonix says Thursday Aug. 18 2016 that two women, a Slovakian and a Polish-British, and their German guide were climbing Mont Blanc\'s Mont Maudit at 4,100 meters (13,450 feet) when a tower of ice swept over them early Tuesday. The bodies of the three alpinists, have been found and dug out from the thick ice. (AP Photo/Patrick Gardin, File)
Original Publication Date: August 17, 2016 9:04PM
Publication Updated: April 27, 2025 8:30PM

PARIS – The bodies of three alpinists buried in an avalanche of ice and snow on the Mont Blanc massif have been found and dug out from the thick ice.

The mountain rescue team chief in the French town of Chamonix says Thursday that two women, a Slovakian and a Polish-British, and their German guide were climbing Mont Blanc’s Mont Maudit at 4,100 metres (13,450 feet) when a tower of ice swept over them early Tuesday and they fell 150 metres (500 feet) to their deaths.

Lieut. Col. Stephane Bozon says the women’s bodies were found Wednesday evening and the guide’s early Thursday. Rescue workers had to use chain saws and a backhoe to free them from the ice.

He said the rescue effort was delayed because other climbers said there were no victims.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles