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Five skiers killed in avalanches in northern Italy

11 January 2011 21:31 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Five skiers were killed in two avalanches that struck northern Italy on Tuesday, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

One caused the death of four foreign skiers on the border with France, while the other killed a Russian tourist in a luxury location. All victims were skiing off the slopes.

The Russian tourist, who was skiing in the elite town of Courmayeur, momentarily derailed from the slope’s trail when a ball of snow and ice hit him, sending him flying. When his body was extracted from under the snow he had already stopped breathing.

It appeared that the Russian tourist himself touched off the avalanche by skiing in a dangerous, restricted area where he was not supposed to be, according to news agency Ansa. Local authorities have launched a probe into the accident.

The avalanche that struck the border with France resulted in the death of a British skier, two French and a fourth person who has not yet been identified.