Five cross-country skiers found dead in Switzerland: police

March 11, 2024 11:59 AM

Five of six cross-country skiers who went missing in the Swiss Alps over the weekend have been found dead, police in the canton of Valais said Monday, with the search still on for the last person.

The group of skiers, who ranged in age from 21 to 58, had left Zermatt Saturday morning with the goal of reaching the town of Arolla later that day.

They went missing, however, in the vicinity of the Tete Blanche mountain.

A storm over the weekend prevented helicopters and rescuers from reaching the area, but on Sunday evening, a team was finally able to be dropped off by helicopter nearby, police said in a statement.

"At around 9:20 pm (2020 GMT) it reached the Tete Blanche sector, where it discovered the bodies of five of the six people who were missing," it added.

Five of the six skiers are members of the same family, but police have not yet revealed the identities of the bodies found.

A press conference is expected later in the day in the canton capital Sion.

The group was reported missing by a family member who had been due to pick them up in Arolla on Saturday.