Intense video footage shows the moment a large avalanche engulfed skiers at a popular Swiss Alps resort on Tuesday afternoon.
A skier captured the terrifying footage on a helmet-cam as he careened down the mountain slope. The video shows the fast-moving avalanche as it overwhelms a group of skiers that appeared to be stopped on the slope, before continuing to barrel down the mountainside.
Roughly half of the 840-metre long avalanche made a direct hit across the ski slope, officials said.
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The video, seen from the skier’s perspective, looks back at the wall of snow as it rips down the slope, getting closer and closer.
Authorities said four people were pulled from the snow and taken to a hospital, with one victim suffering fatal injuries.
“The person who was seriously injured died during the night in Sion hospital. He was a French ski patroller aged 34,” Valais police said in a statement.
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Nearly 250 rescue workers, medics, police officers and military personnel took part in the search, backed by eight helicopters and a dozen search dogs. They searched all night but stopped Wednesday morning.
The cause of the avalanche wasn’t immediately clear.
–with a file from the Associated Press