4 dead after avalanche hits southern Switzerland
California resident Jameson Schwab shared a video of ski patrollers battling fierce winds during a winter storm in the Donner Summit area of the Sierra Nevada mountains on Feb. 5. Schwab said he and three others were doing avalanche control work when the video was filmed. The Sierra Nevada mountains received four days of near-continuous snowfall from Feb. 2 to Feb. 6, with some areas receiving anywhere from 5 to 11 feet.
A grim discovery was made on Saturday when the bodies of four skiers killed by an avalanche were found in southern Switzerland.
The German skiers were buried by the avalanche near the village of Fieschertal, Switzerland, on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Adverse weather delayed rescuers from discovering and recovering the bodies until Saturday afternoon.
Snow-enthusiasts headed to the Alps this week are reminded to avoid unsecured areas.
"The threat for avalanches will remain moderate to high for the next several days in the Alps across Switzerland, Austria and northern Italy," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Roys is concerned for additional avalanches due to unsettled weather that can make the snowpack unstable.
Avalanche stock photo (Simon Steinberger/Pixabay)
Rain and high-elevation snow showers are expected to persist through Tuesday with another round to follow late in the week.
"The other concern is temperatures," Roys said. "Even though temperatures will be around seasonable this week, that will help keep the snow slushy."
"Late-season winter storms have helped to keep the snowpack across the Alps deeper than normal," he added.
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