On Friday morning, several alpinists were hit by a slab on the ascent to Piz Russein in Sumvitg. Two people were killed.
A three-person ski tour group got into a slab avalanche on Friday morning at 09.00 a.m. below Piz Russein. The group had previously started from the Planurahütte, passed the sand pass and wanted to climb the Piz Russein via the southwest flank.
Below the summit, a ski depot was built at an altitude of 3100 m above sea level. M. set up to then climb the remaining steep meters to the summit on foot. In a south-western slope, a slab of snow above the mountaineers detached itself and carried two people with it.
Captured by the snow masses, they were dragged around 1 meters into the depths over steep and rocky terrain and buried. The third mountain companion was not hit by the avalanche and was uninjured. He was flown into the valley in the Rega helicopter.
The two alpinists, a 29- and a 31-year-old man, died on site from the serious injuries. In a coordinated rescue operation, two Rega helicopters, one each from Heli-Linth AG and one from swisshelicopter AG with 10 rescuers from the Glarus Alpine Rescue with two avalanche dogs, as well as a flying operations manager, a drone pilot and the Alpine police from the Graubünden cantonal police, were on duty.
The exact course of the avalanche accident will be clarified by the public prosecutor and the alpine police of the Graubünden cantonal police.
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Credits: picture and text Canton police of Graubünden