A U.S. teen attending a boarding school in Switzerland has been reported missing and is presumed dead after a 2,500-foot-wide avalanche during a class skiing trip on Tuesday.
A British student from the $70,000-per-year Ecole d’Humanité boarding school was already found dead. However, a U.S. teen from Colorado who has not been identified is still missing, authorities in Meiringen, Switzerland, said, according to the New York Daily News.
“The official search for the second student, who was from the USA, had to be interrupted at around 7.30 p.m. [Tuesday] and was continued the next day. We regret this terrible accident and are deeply saddened,” a statement from the school reads.
Authorities confirmed that the search is ongoing after the avalanche occurred at around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Gstelliwang slope in the Bernese Alps, which is about 2,117 meters high.
A snowboarder wears a protective face mask on the run at the Kleine Scheidegg ski resort in Grindelwald, Switzerland, on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. (Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The two girls were reportedly part of a party of 12 skiers, including at least three other students and a guide. Reports say the two were the first to hit the trail, but the avalanche soon followed them down the slope in an unstoppable mass.
Neither victim has yet to be named publicly, but police in Meiringen have confirmed the one death.
A spokesman for Ecole d’Humanité claimed that the party had taken the usual precautions to avoid triggering avalanches.
People prepare to ski at the Kleine Scheidegg ski resort in Grindelwald, Switzerland, on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. (Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The very experienced group had taken the necessary precautions for a ski tour in advance,” the school statement said. “In particular, the current avalanche bulletin was taken into account and all persons were equipped with avalanche transceivers.”
“Despite these measures, an avalanche broke loose and buried two students,” the school added.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathy to all students, their families and relatives.”
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