Three Skiers Dead in Avalanche Near World-Famous Resort

Three people, including a teenager from America, were killed in an avalanche at a ski resort in Switzerland, Reuters and The Guardian reported.

The avalanche occurred around 2 p.m. Monday afternoon below the Matterhorn mountain range, just above the Zermatt resort. A 15-year-old American was killed in the tragedy, along with a man and woman who have yet to be identified. Authorities have indicated that they have no information at this time pointing to the woman’s identity. A fourth skier, a 20-year-old Swiss man, was pulled from the snow and airlifted to a nearby hospital with “serious injuries.”

According to multiple reports, the events are being investigated by local authorities and prosecutors.

As of Tuesday, it was unclear whether there were more people potentially trapped under the avalanche. Search operations were paused late on Monday afternoon due to heavy snowfall in the area.

A similar tragedy befell six Swiss skiers just last month. The adventurers, five of whom belonged to the same family, set out to hike the Matterhorn when severe weather conditions suddenly overtook them. Five members of the party were found deceased after a “major rescue operation” which lasted several days. After several more days of searching, the rescue operation for the party’s sixth member was ultimately called off.

A similar incident occurred in 2018, which saw seven hikers tragically perished in the same manner. “Unfortunately, this region is accustomed to tragedies like this,” Christian Varone, commander of the area's regional police, said after March’s tragedy.