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An off-trail avalanche killed two skiers and injured another on Sunday on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif, near the border between France and Switzerland, officials said.<\/p>\n
At least three skiers were caught up in Sunday morning\u2019s avalanche in the Couloir Vesses, a well-known freeride route in Courmayeur, in the upper Val Veny, according to Italy’s Alpine Rescue.<\/p>\n
One of the victims was taken to a hospital in serious condition but later died, the agency said. Fifteen rescuers, three canine units and two helicopters took part in the search and rescue efforts.<\/p>\n
Courmayeur, a town with about 2,900 inhabitants, is some 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of Milan, one of the venues hosting the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another person was partially buried by an avalanche in Trentino, but was rescued by his companions, authorities reported Sunday.<\/p>\n A record 13 backcountry skiers, climbers and hikers died<\/a> in the Italian mountains over a week ending Feb. 8, Alpine Rescue said last Monday, including 10 in avalanches<\/a> triggered by an exceptionally unstable snowpack.<\/p>\n Fresh snowfall during recent storms and wind-swept snowcaps on weak internal layers have created especially risky conditions along the entire Alpine crescent bordering France, Switzerland and Austria, Alpine Rescue said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n