Five bodies were discovered on Saturday in Switzerland’s Zermatt alpine region after mountaineers spotted pairs of skis without their owners.
Two skiers climbing the Rimpfischhorn mountain alerted authorities on Saturday afternoon when they saw the equipment near the summit, according to a translation of a statement from the Canton Valais police force.
Rescue workers helicoptered in and soon discovered the bodies, police said.
Identification of the victims is still underway and local authorities have opened a probe into the incident.
Weather conditions and avalanche activity in the region are being examined as part of the investigation, the Associated Press reports.
According to Air Zermatt, the operator of the rescue helicopter, four pairs of skis were discovered at an altitude of around 13,100 feet above the saddle, where mountaineers typically leave their skis before the final ascent.
The rescue crew subsequently found three bodies approximately 1,600 feet below the saddle “on an avalanche cone,” Air Zermatt said. Two more bodies were found slightly higher up the mountain.
The Rimpfischhorn is a 13,776-foot mountain in the Zermatt region of Switzerland, an area best known for its high-end ski resort at the foot of the world-famous Matterhorn.
Air Zermatt said it had carried out another rescue mission in the Alps on Friday night, navigating very challenging weather conditions after four alpinists became trapped on the Fiescherhörner mountain amid wind and fog. All four people were rescued safely after an initial rescue attempt had to be aborted due to adverse conditions, it said.
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