Italy seeks jail for skiers who cause avalanches

Italy's government has proposed punishing skiers and snowboarders who trigger deadly avalanches with jail terms, after eight deaths on Italian slopes over the weekend. Experts have blamed imprudent off-trail skiers for setting off avalanches that...

Italy's government has proposed punishing skiers and snowboarders who trigger deadly avalanches with jail terms, after eight deaths on Italian slopes over the weekend.

Experts have blamed imprudent off-trail skiers for setting off avalanches that caused the deaths - and injuries to many more - in popular ski areas, which newspapers have dubbed the "white massacre" and "black year for off-trail skiers".

"There have been far too many incidents on the slopes," Tourism Minister Michela Vittoria Brambilla said yesterday, recommending prison terms in the most serious cases.

The new measures, proposed by Italy's civil protection agency which sends in rescue crews, have been presented as an amendment to legislation being discussed in parliament.

They also include a €5,000 fine for those who ignore meteorological warnings and venture off piste.

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