British mother and son killed in avalanche while skiing off-piste with instructor in the French Alps
A BRITISH mum and her son are believed to have been killed in an avalanche while skiing off-piste with an instructor in the French Alps.
The tragedy struck yesterday afternoon at the St Gervais les Bains resort in Mont Blanc.
The avalanche involved a total of eight people - with five of them making a miraculous escape and one of them being injured.
The avalanche swept through an off-piste area of the resort at an altitude of 7,545 feet, the administration for the Haute-Savoie region said in a statement.
Dozens of mountain rescuers set out to search for skiers trapped, finding a man and a women dead and one person injured.
A group of five Brits from the same family were caught up in the blast which happened near the the Mont Joly chair lift.
The instructor along with a 54-year-old mum and her son, 22, were completely buried by the slide.
The Public Prosecutor said an investigation has been launched to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy.
Saint-Gervais Mayor Jean-Marc Peillex said the weather conditions were too unstable for such risky outings.
"It rained, it snowed, it was warm. There are enough marked paths to ski on," he told BFM television.
"Its terrible what happened. A family is decimated, and we are very sad in Saint-Gervais."
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