The bodies of five skiers were found by rescuers near the gorgeous Zermatt resort in Switzerland.
They recovered the day after emergency services were warned by a group of climbers who had climbed the 4,199 metre peak of the Valley Alps on several pairs of skis neglected at Atd-Aat near the summit.
Aerial and ground searches led to the discovery of the bodies under the Adler Glacier summit, Valley said in a statement Sunday.
The victims were found at various avalanche debris in highland areas near the Swiss-Italian border.
Three bodies were found in one area, with two more found higher on narrow snow, narrow, snowy, according to rescue team Air Zelmatt.
A fifth pair of skis were later discovered during a search, confirming that the group traveled as a party of five. Those identities have not yet been officially released.
The prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the accident.
Zermatt is one of Switzerland’s more premium alpine resorts, visited by wealthy British and other European skiers. However, climbing Rimpfischhorn is considered a more advanced expedition, about five hours from the resort.
There are many approaches to climbing, and they all require an overnight stay in a tall shed. The usual way from Zermatt is to take the lift to the Browhard at 2570m.
In another incident Friday night, Air Zarmatt was also involved in the rescue of Feechelhorner’s challenging mountain, where four alpinists are stuck in fog and strong winds.
The first evacuation attempt had to be aborted due to weather, but the second attempt immediately after midnight made all four safe.
