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SWITZERLAND-AVALANCHE-POLICE
One dead after Swiss avalanche, rescue search paused
GENEVA, Feb 20, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – One person engulfed in an avalanche in
the Swiss Alps has died, police said Wednesday, as rescue operations to find
other possible victims were paused after an all-night search.
Four people had been reported as injured in the avalanche on Tuesday at the
Crans-Montana ski station in southern Switzerland.
One of the wounded, a 34-year-old French national, has died, police in
Valais canton said in a tweet.
“Searches that continued through the night have been stopped. They will
resume if the situation requires,” police added. No new victims were
discovered overnight.
The avalanche hit during the early afternoon on a slope 2,600 metres (8,600
feet) up at Crans-Montana, which was busy with skiers during school holidays.
Swiss media said search efforts for the victims included sniffer dogs, four
military helicopters and up to 250 rescue workers.
The avalanche was unusual in that it hit a designated ski slope, while the
vast majority of deadly avalanches in the Alpine nation hit people skiing
off-piste.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1635 hrs