A BRITISH man has been killed after he was swept 50ft to his death in a horrific avalanche at the popular French ski resort Val Thorens.
The 27-year-old was discovered buried under the snow at the entrance of the resort on Thursday, following a massive snow storm.
A rescue helicopter was scrambled to airlift him to safety – but fierce winds and whiteout conditions forced it to abort the mission.
The man was quickly taken to Grenoble Hospital by emergency services but sadly was pronounced dead at the medical facility on Friday morning, as reported by Francebleu.
The man had been staying with friends at the UCPA centre at the popular resort before the tragedy struck.
Savoie prefecture director Ludovic Trautmann stated, “Four landslides have occurred in Les Menuires and Val Thorens, with two of them reaching the town center.”
“Given the conditions in the coming days, we are calling for the utmost vigilance.
“The buried person was affected by the landslide at the bottom of the resort.”
The fatal avalanche occurred just after 10 am, carrying the man approximately 15 meters down the resort’s access road and burying him under a significant amount of snow.
After a witness raised the alarm, two police officers and three gendarmes on foot rushed to the scene.
Officers managed to dig him out and perform emergency CPR as he lay in cardio-respiratory arrest.
The Albertville prosecutor confirmed the man was lying at the side of the road when the avalanche hit and was quickly buried.
The Savoie region has since been placed under an orange avalanche alert by Météo France, with warnings of more snow and high risk in the coming days.
Val Thorens and the neighbouring resort of Tignes were also forced to issue lockdown orders, telling tourists and locals to remain indoors for their own safety.
In Tignes, more than 3.5ft of snow fell overnight, forcing locals into lockdown.
“All cars are covered up to the roof… Just walking outside is worrying,” said Mathis, a hotel worker in the area.
Elsewhere in the Alps, chaos unfolded as an “exceptional” spring storm swept across France, Italy and Switzerland – shutting roads, cancelling trains and leaving thousands without power.
In Italy, two men – a father and son aged 64 and 33 – were found dead near Vicenza after their car was swept away by floodwaters as they attempted to help with rescue efforts.
A third victim, a 92-year-old man, drowned in his flooded home in the Piedmont region.
In Switzerland, the 36,000 residents of Sion were ordered to stay home amid fears of avalanches and flooding.
Dozens of trucks became stranded on the A43 highway linking Italy and France after being barred from the Mont Blanc tunnel, and more than 8,000 homes across the region were left without power.
Just days ago, a Brit skier died after losing control on a Swiss mountain slope and plunging into a nearby river.
The 54-year-old had been skiing an authorised run from the 6,800ft-high Kleine Scheidegg pass when he suddenly veered off piste.
He crashed off the marked slope and fell into the Rychenbach Stream on Friday.
Fellow skiers pulled him from the water near the village of Grindelwald and called emergency services.
He was airlifted to hospital in capital Bern, but tragically died from multiple injuries the next day.
The river is known worldwide as the setting for Sherlock Holmes’ final showdown with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Fall.
