Three skiers die in an avalanche in the Pyrenees of Huesca
The victims were swept away by the snow and one woman was buried, but she survived.
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Three skiers died on Monday in an avalanche on Tablato Peak in the Pyrenees of Huesca, near the Panticosa spa resort. The victims were two men and a woman. According to sources from the Aragonese government, a fourth person rescued, a woman, survived but was injured and is being treated in a provincial hospital for mild hypothermia. The group consisted of six people who had traveled to the Pyrenees of Huesca to practice ski touring. The other two skiers—who also suffered minor injuries—were able to escape the avalanche on their own and alert emergency services, according to several local media outlets. The emergency services received the call about the accident around 1 p.m., according to sources from the Civil Guard speaking to Europa Press. The Civil Guard activated the Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group (GREIM), the air unit, and a doctor from the 061 emergency medical service, who are still working in the area. The Director General of the Interior for the Aragonese government, Miguel Ángel Clavero, specified that the avalanche occurred at an altitude of between 2,600 and 2,700 meters after a slab broke, sweeping the group of skiers down the slope. Among the fatalities are a pediatrician from San Jorge Hospital in Huesca and his partner, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Europa Press. Dr. Clavero, a physician by profession, was also a mountain and snow sports enthusiast and, in fact, had created a leading website for checking weather conditions before planning outings. The identity of the third fatality has not been released.
The victims were swept away by the snow, and the injured woman who was rescued alive was partially buried. After being located, she was evacuated to San Jorge Hospital in Huesca, where she is receiving medical attention. In statements to the media, Clavero specified that the snow had not buried the deceased mountaineers, and that all of them had injuries from the impacts suffered during the slide. In fact, he explained that the amount of snow was not very large and that it is common for slabs of snow to form on cold, snowy days. "One of them breaks and slides over the others, dragging those who are on top of it," he summarized.
The Director General of the Interior of the Aragonese government also explained that, given the large number of people involved, they activated the Huesca Fire Department and even contacted the Military Emergency Unit (UME), although it was not necessary to activate it. The victims' bodies are still at the accident site, awaiting transfer to the Forensic Anatomical Institute of Aragon, once the court order for their removal is issued.
Popular ski area
Around 4 p.m., the bodies of the three skiers were recovered by the Civil Guard's emergency and rescue services. The president of the Aragonese government, Jorge Azcón, announced via social media his decision to cancel his schedule for Monday, "shocked by the tragic news of the mountain accident." According to sources in the Aragonese mountain region, the avalanche zone is very popular with ski mountaineering enthusiasts, as it has a 1,000-meter vertical drop. The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) maintains the avalanche risk level in this area at two out of five. In Catalonia, Civil Protection has maintained the avalanche alert at least until Tuesday and is urging caution in the Ter-Freser, Cadí-Moixeró, Pre-Pyrenees, and Perafita-Puigpedrós areas.