SWITZERLAND: Several mountaineers were injured Friday in an ice fall in Alpine southwest Switzerland, police said following a rescue attempt involving several helicopters.
Police received calls at 6:20 am (0420 GMT) reporting that mountaineers had been caught up in falling seracs -- columns of glacial ice formed by crevasses -- on the Grand Combin, a glacial massif near the Italian border in the Wallis region.
“Around 15 mountaineers were there,“ the Wallis police said in a statement.
“Several climbers were impacted. Regrettably, there are victims. Other mountaineers on the spot were evacuated,“ the statement said, adding that further details would be given in due course.
Seven helicopters with mountain rescue experts on board flew to the scene.
The serac fall happened at an altitude of 3,400 metres (11,100 feet) in the Plateau de Dejeuner section along the Voie du Gardien ascent route.
The Grand Combin massif has three summits above 4,000 metres, the highest of which is the Combin de Grafeneire at 4,314 metres.
The regional public prosecutor has opened an investigation “to determine the circumstances of this event”, the police said.-AFP
