British mother and son killed by avalanche

THE deaths of a British mother and son who were killed in an avalanche in the French Alps will be investigated as part of a criminal inquiry.

The unnamed mother, 54 and her son, 22, were skiing in an off-piste area of the Saint-Gervais-les-Bains resort near Mont Blanc when an avalanche occurred.

Yesterday, prosecutors opened a criminal inquiry in Bonneville, with judicial police investigating on-site, on what are thought to be the first deaths in downhill skiing in France this winter.

Those who died were on an off-piste expedition in a group of eight which included an independent ski instructor, whom they had reportedly known for several years. The instructor, who was the only skier wearing an avalanche victim detector, was found unharmed despite also being buried under a 400m-long torrent of ice and snow in the Haute-Savoie region.

A source involved in the investigation said the group were hit at a height of about 7,545ft. One source said: “Three out of the eight skiers were buried and a search party was mobilised very quickly, after an emergency alarm.

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“The instructor was detected and pulled out but the man and woman perished ... the initial theory is that another party of skiers higher up triggered the avalanche,” they added.

More than 30 rescuers were involved in the search. Survivors include the woman’s husband, who is also yet to be named. It understood that the victim’s names will not be released until their extended family have been informed.

Meanwhile, a hiker was killed in the Ecrins mountains to the north. Local reports said the hiker had stepped off the path to look at mountain goats.