Rescue teams have found the bodies of five skiers near the luxury resort of Zermatt in Switzerland. The tragic discovery was made after a group of climbers reported seeing several pairs of skis left unattended near the summit of Rimpfischhorn, a peak that stands at 4,199 meters in the Valais Alps.
Emergency services were alerted to the situation, prompting aerial and ground searches. The bodies were located on the Adler Glacier, just below the summit. Local police confirmed that the victims were found at different altitudes, buried in avalanche debris close to the Swiss-Italian border.
Three of the skiers were found in one area, while the other two were discovered higher up on a narrow snow patch. A fifth pair of skis was also located during the search, indicating that the group had been skiing together. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims.
In response to this incident, the public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident. Zermatt is known for being a high-end Alpine resort, popular among wealthy skiers from Britain and other parts of Europe. However, the climb to Rimpfischhorn is known to be challenging, typically taking about five hours to complete from the resort.
Climbers usually need to stay overnight in a high hut, with the most common route starting with lifts to Blauherd at 2,570 meters.
In a separate incident on the same night, Air Zermatt was also involved in a difficult rescue operation on the Fiescherhörner, where four climbers were stranded due to poor weather conditions. An initial rescue attempt had to be called off, but a second attempt just after midnight successfully brought all four climbers to safety.