Avalanche kills 3, including American teen, near Swiss resort
The Matterhorn Mountain is pictured in Zermatt, Switzerland, Dec. 10, 2023. (Photo by Lian Yi/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Three people were killed in an avalanche, including an American teenager, near the Swiss resort of Zermatt, police said Tuesday.
A fourth person was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.
Authorities said the avalanche happened around 2 p.m. local time Monday in an off-piste area of the Riffelberg, above the resort and below the famed Matterhorn peak. Rescuers recovered three bodies and the injured skier, a 20-year-old Swiss man.
The victims were a 15-year-old American boy, as well as a man and a woman whose identification has not yet been concluded, police in Valais canton said in a statement.
They gave no further details, but said they currently have no information on the woman's identity.
Prosecutors were investigating the incident.
Last month, five members of a Swiss family were found dead after going missing while cross-country skiing near the Matterhorn in difficult weather conditions. Authorities abandoned the search for a sixth missing person days later.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.