Five skiers killed in avalanche

Five people died after an avalanche hit an expedition of Swiss nationals led by a French guide on a mountain in northern Norway yesterday, Norwegian authorities said.

A sixth member of the group was dug out of the snow alive and was being treated in hospital, police said.

“It’s a man. His injuries are moderate and his condition is stable,” a hospital spokesman, Jan Fredrik Frantzen, told AFP news agency. The nationalities of the five victims were not immediately clear.

According to police, the avalanche went off early yesterday afternoon at an altitude of about 1,000 metres on the Sorbmegaisa mountain in the Kaafjord municipality, and swept away half of a 12-member expedition in the area who were probably travelling on skis.

Around 30 rescue workers, assisted by dogs and several helicopters, were dispatched in the search and rescue operation, while F-16 fighter jets had also been deployed to help with observations of the site.

The expedition had split into two six-person groups each made up of five Swiss nationals and one French guide.

Police said all of the 12 had been wearing radio transmitters, which helped the search.