A British woman has died after being caught in an avalanche in the French Alps.
The 45-year-old man was walking with two other people when the accident occurred on the Argentiere glacier on Mont Blanc on Saturday.
French police said a specialized high-mountain search-and-rescue unit in Chamonix was notified of the incident by a guide around 5 pm, and sent rescuers and a doctor by helicopter.
Despite their efforts, they were unable to save the woman, said Col. Bertrand Host of the mountain rescue unit.
“When we arrived we had to rescue this person but he was in a bad situation and we evacuated him from the valley,” he said. “Rescuers and two dogs took care of her, but we were unable to revive her.”
The Chamonix coroner opened an inquest into the woman’s death and ordered an autopsy.
Colonel Host said deaths in the Mont Blanc massif are not rare, with around 80 people losing their lives each year.
The local prosecutor’s office said the woman and her partner were traveling with a high-altitude guide up the Col du Tour Noir when the avalanche struck.
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The office confirmed there was an avalanche risk warning of three, on a scale of five, on Saturday.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are providing assistance to the family of a British woman who died in France.”
At 4,810 m (15,781 ft), Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Western Europe, attracting around 20,000 skiers and hikers each year.
