A piste patroller has been killed by an avalanche at la Plagne in the early afternoon today. The pisteur was checking the slope with a colleague in the Bourtes/Mio sector when he was taken around 300 meters by the slide and buried. Mountain rescue  from Modane and Albertville were dispatched to the scene by helicopter. On their arrival the victim had been recovered by his colleague in a state of cardio-vascular arrest. The victim had been under the snow for around 10 minutes. He was evacuated by helicopter to Grenoble where the 54 year old succumbed to his injuries.

The avalanche risk was Considerable 3/5 with half a meter of fresh snow falling in the previous 48 hours accompanied by strong winds from the West and North-West.