BRITISH MAN, 18, SWEPT AWAY AND KILLED BY AVALANCHE ON SWITZERLAND SKIING TRIP

An 18-year-old British man has died following an avalanche whilst on a skiing tour in Switzerland. Local police made the announcement as authorities searched a second person believed to have been caught up in the disaster that occurred on Tuesday in Meiringen, in the canton of Bern. The age and gender of the second person are unknown.

According to Swiss media, Bern police received a report at 4.25 pm on Tuesday that an "avalanche had fallen near the Gsteilliwang and two ski tourers had been buried".

It is understood that several of several people were on a ski tour when two of them travelled down the slope at which point the avalanche struck.

The Gsteilliwang, the slope on which the incident occurred, is on the northwest face of the Wellhorn, a mountain in the Bernese Alps, it sits at a height of around 2,117 metres.

Citing Bern canton police, Swiss media said rescue crews were deployed immediately and found the young Briton dead. The authorities continued searching for the second person, but their search was interrupted at 7.30 pm and resued on Wednesday morning.

Swiss Alpine Rescue, helicopters, police, and mountain specialists have joined the search for the missing skier.

2023-03-22T11:40:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd