Three people are killed as avalanche hits popular Swiss ski resort

Three people died on Easter Monday in a huge avalanche in Switzerland, police confirmed.

Three bodies were found after they went missing in Lawinen, near Zermatt, home to a popular ski resort in the southern canton of Valais, on Easter Monday.

A fourth person was found injured and airlifted to a nearby hospital after a dramatic search involving four helicopters.

About 45 rescuers participated in the searches, including eight avalanche dog handlers, 13 rescue specialists, 15 firefighters and local ski instructors.

Police did not confirm the identities of the victims.

Valais in Switzerland attracts tourists from all over during its busy ski season.

The skiers were reportedly in an area prone to deep snow outside the marked ski slopes around 2 p.m. when the avalanche occurred.

“It seemed to me that at the time of the avalanche there were several people on the slope,” a horrified witness told local media Blick.

Bruno Jelk, former head of Zermatt’s mountain rescue service and current head of Mattertal avalanche monitoring, said several had gone off the piste on a “very steep slope” where footprints could still be seen.

The ski area was about 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level and experiences intermittent avalanche warnings.

A lot of snow fell over the Easter weekend as the mountains were hit by strong hurricane-force winds, according to local media. reported.

On Monday, when the family was found, the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos declared the second-highest danger level for some parts of the region, including Zermatt.

A family of skiers was found dead in the Swiss Alps in March after leaving Zermatt for the nearby town of Arolla.

The group of six people who were trapped raised the alarm when they were caught in a strong storm, which prevented helicopters and rescue teams from reaching them.

It later emerged that five of the six mountain enthusiasts had died near the Dent Blanche alpine hut.