Barefoot migrants risk death on Alps

ITALY: Rescue workers say they expect to discover the bodies of African migrants who have died crossing the Alps when the snows melt in the spring.

Dozens try to cross the border between Italy and France every week, some barefooted, despite heavy snow and temperatures as low as minus 20C. One African man died last week when he fell from the clifftop cabin where he had been sheltering onto the A8 motorway at Roquebrune-CapMartin on the French side of the border.

Mountain guides and rescue workers say that others will perish in the attempt to reach France, often en route to the UK. Yann Fillet, head of the Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service in Briancon, said that rescuing migrants in the mountains ‘‘has been a daily occurrence for us since last spring.

‘‘We thought the crossings would stop in the winter. That has not happened.’’

Rescue workers say between 10 and 12 migrants now reach France by crossing the Alps every day. ‘‘I’m afraid that there’s going to be a catastrophe,’’ Fillet said. ‘‘You just need an avalanche, or for their telephones not to work, for them not to have the right number or for them to get lost. We’ll find their bodies in the spring.’’

On the Italian side of the border poorly equipped migrants have had to call for help from rescue workers on six occasions in the past month. On December 20, six people from Equatorial Guinea sought help after losing their way on the route to Colle della Scala, the 1,762m pass that leads to the French town of Nevache. Three minors from the Ivory Coast were also found in difficulty on the same day. Many were wearing only trainers and soaking tracksuits, totally unsuited to the freezing conditions. They were given hot tea and food, and warned that they risked their lives if they continued, but none turned back towards Italy.

Ten days earlier a group of 12 African migrants had to be rescued, some having lost their shoes and gloves in the deep snow.

The groups set out early in the morning on the seven-mile trek, climbing to over 1,700m and often struggling to cope with the deep snow. There are two tunnels that can be used on the route, but French police often lie in wait at the other end.

‘‘The climatic conditions are the real obstacle,’’ Francesco Avato, the mayor of Bardonecchia, said.

‘‘The kids risk their lives because they are not properly equipped for the mountains. They have crossed the desert and the Mediterranean, but the last mile can be very dangerous. They have no idea that within 15 minutes of setting out they can start to suffer from hypothermia.’’