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Five members of the same family reported missing earlier this week have been found dead after succumbing to extremely cold temperatures in the Swiss Alps, the local police have said.
On Saturday, March 9, 2024, six skiers, five of the same family, set out from the Swiss resort town of Zermatt to cover the village of Arora over the snow-covered peaks. At 4 pm local time, a family member who was supposed to pick them up from Arolla contacted the cantonal police and the Cantonal Valais Emergency Organization (OCVS) and informed them that his family had not reached the pickup point.
The search-and-rescue operation started on Saturday, but the poor weather in the Swiss Alps made the operation extremely delicate, according to police. On Sunday, March 10, 2024, five of the six members were found dead as they fell asleep, and the search for the sixth continues.
The gripping account of the Swiss Alps tragedy: 5 found dead
Six skiers aged between 21 and 58 were set on a hiking route from Zermatt to Arolla, Swiss Alps, on Saturday, March 9, 2024. The same day, at 4 pm local time, a man called the police and reported that their family had reportedly not reached Arolla, where he was due to pick them up.
However, an hour later, a member of the group managed to call the emergency services, which located him in the Tête Blanche pass area at an altitude of around 3,500 meters (around 11,480 feet), Swiss Valais canton police said.
Immediately, the search-and-rescue operation was launched near the 3,706-meter-high (12,159 feet) Tête Blanche pass, where the family went missing. As CNN reports, police said the weather conditions were so poor that the operation was extremely delicate and prevented helicopters from reaching the area. They said,
"A storm in the southern Alps and the danger of avalanches prevented helicopters and rescue columns from approaching the area."
Speaking about the operation and weather, the police on Monday said a team of five experienced rescuers launched an overland approach from Zermatt, Swiss Alps, on Saturday night, but due to "extremely poor" weather, the team had to give up at 3,000 meters (9,843 feet).
On Sunday evening, March 10, 2024, at 9.20 pm local time, five of the six members were found dead due to low temperature.
The investigation officer, Christian Varone, said they are in the process of determining the cause of death. But, he said they initially observed that the skiers "found themselves in an extremely complicated situation" in low temperatures.
He added that the weather in Zermatt was relatively good when the group started hiking. However, in the mountains, "we can get going, and everything changes very fast," he added. The identities of the deceased are yet to be revealed. However, the search for the sixth member continues, as per police.
