Avalanche in French Alps Kills at Least 4 People

Avalanche in French Alps Kills at Least 4 People
The aftermath of an avalanche near the Armancette glacier in the French Alps, as seen from Mont Joux, France, on April 9, 2023. (Twitter @jpclement38 via Reuters)
The Associated Press
4/9/2023
Updated:
4/9/2023

PARIS—An avalanche in the French Alps killed four people Sunday, France’s interior minister said, calling the death toll a provisional count.

The avalanche rolled down the Armancette glacier in Contamines-Montjoie, in the Haute-Savoie region, some 30 kilometers (almost 20 miles) southwest of Chamonix.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin provided no details in his tweet about the deaths. The Alps are a prime vacation spot over France’s long Easter weekend.

The local France-Bleu radio station put the size of the avalanche at 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) long and 100 meters (328 feet) wide. Two helicopters were sent in to help in the search, the station said, quoting the local prefecture in Thonon.