Residents ordered to stay home due to high risk of avalanche in French Alps
One person has been injured in an avalanche in Val Thorens, while thousands of homes are without power
Warnings have been issued for Tignes (Savoie)
beatrice preve / Alamy
People in the Savoie department are being asked by some local authorities to stay indoors tonight as severe warnings for avalanches are in place for today (April 17).
It comes as a person suffered a heart attack after being buried in snow at the Val Thorens resort on Thursday, according to local media. The person, who has not been named, was taken to hospital in Grenoble.
Four avalanches were reported in Les Menuires and Val Thorens, according to Ludovic Trautmann, director of the Savoie Prefecture.
"Two reached the town centre. Given the conditions in the coming days, we are calling for the utmost vigilance. The buried person was caught in the avalanche at the bottom of the resort."
The Tignes municipality has ordered residents and tourists to remain indoors from 20:00 onwards, after previously asking them to stay indoors until 15:00.
Avalanche warnings have reached level 5, the highest possible under the classification system, however warnings from state forecaster Météo France remain at tier-three orange level, the second-highest under general weather classifications.
Ski slopes have been closed across several Alpine resorts, and no navettes (shuttle buses) nor school transportation ran today.
Trains in the department have also been affected, facing delays and cancellations.
Heavy snowfall in the area has left up to 4,000 homes in the area without electricity, and more snow is expected to fall throughout the day.
Up to 2 metres is expected to fall overall in some areas, an exceptional late snowfall for April, and in some places nearly one metre has already fallen in the last 24 hours.
Drivers asked to stay off roads
Drivers in the Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys – covering some of France’s best-known ski resorts – have been asked to avoid driving to minimise the risk of accidents and the need for emergency rescue operations.
Parts of the A43 motorway are also closed, as is the D902 in the Val d’Isère. Several smaller local roads in the area may be impacted by snowfall.
Alongside the potential for roads to be blocked by snow and surprise avalanches, there is a risk of falling trees along major roads that could further impede journeys or land on vehicles.
Read more: Tips for driving in snowy conditions in France
Several people have died in Alpine avalanches this year.
