Nine climbers were killed in an avalanche near Chamonix in the French Alps on Thursday when a wall of snow swept them away as they tried to scale one of Europe's tallest peaks, authorities said. Rescue efforts to find four other climbers still missing were called off until Friday and French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said an investigation would be launched to establish what had happened and how similar avalanches could be avoided.
The dead included three Britons, three Germans, two Spaniards and one Swiss, authorities said. The missing climbers are two Britons and two Germans. Nine people were injured.
A preliminary investigation suggested a climber may have stepped on an icy patch, unwittingly triggering the giant slide. Many of the climbers were roped together for safety reasons, and some of the injured sustained broken bones. "The conditions are still perilous. At this stage, the mountain is not safe," Valls told reporters, adding that he had flown over the area and saw giant blocks of ice beneath him.