A British man has been killed after being swept away by a ‘very large’ avalanche in the French Alps.
The 55-year-old died after being hit by an avalanche in an off-piste sector in the Chamonix valley, at the foot of Mont Blanc this afternoon, local police confirmed.
The tragedy unfolded on Tuesday afternoon at Grand Montets, Argentiere, with the landslide said to be over 1 km long and 400 metres wide, La Provence reports.
It is currently unknown why the avalanche occurred however an open investigation continues, according to the Haute-Savoie prefecture.
The victim is understood to have been discovered yesterday at 4.35pm by members of the ski patrol.
The staff were said to be preparing to close the slopes for the day, when they noticed an avalanche stretching two-thirds of a mile down the slope.
While inspecting the area they discovered the victim’s elbow, which had not been completely buried.
Medics were flown on to the mountain by helicopter but, tragically, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
A British man has been killed after being swept away by a ‘very large’ avalanche on Mont Blanc in the French Alps (file image)
The 55-year-old died after being hit by an avalanche in an off-piste sector in the Chamonix valley, at the foot of Mont Blanc this afternoon, local police confirmed
Rescuers also searched the area for two hours for other individuals who were possibly injured.
However due to ‘very unfavourable weather conditions and the significant risk of a second avalanche’ the rescue operation was paused on Tuesday evening.
The prefecture of the Haute-Savoie said in a statement: ‘A very large avalanche occurred in the Grands Montets ski area, in the Herse sector.
‘Due to very unfavorable weather conditions and the significant risk of a second avalanche, the rescue operation was halted late in the evening. The checks carried out confirm a provisional assessment of one victim.’
The Chamonix High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon (PGHM) said: ‘The victim was a 55-year-old man of English origin.
‘The reasons for the triggering of this kilometre-long and 400-metre-wide flow are currently unknown and an investigation is underway.’
Local reports said the man was skiing his 11th descent from the Herse chairlift, with strong winds yesterday afternoon.
The avalanche risk was rated ‘high’ on the European Avalanche Danger Scale with a four out of five rating.
A ‘significant’ risk of an avalanche remains in place for the Aravis, Chablais, Mont-Blanc and Bauges mountain ranges on Wednesday.
The prefecture urged skiers to ‘imperatively respect the precautionary instructions given by the resorts and public services’.
MailOnline has reached out to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for comment.
