A British man who was buried alive in a massive avalanche that propelled him more than a dozen metres across the ground has died after he suffered a heart attack.
The unnamed Brit, 27, was on holiday at the Val Thorens ski resort in the southwestern Savoie region of France when he was hit by the monster tide of snow. Cocal prosecutor Benoît Bachelet said in a statement that the tourist was hit shortly after 10am on Thursday while he was lying by the side of the road. The force of the impact carried him around 15 metres, he added, before police were alerted to the incident by a witness.
They pulled the man, who had entered cardiac arrest, out of the snow and provided first aid before transferring him to hospital in Grenoble, in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region. Local publication Francebleu reported that a rescue helicopter was deployed to transport him, but weather conditions meant it was not possible to reach him at the time.
The fire brigade instead had to transport him while he was mid cardiac arrest. He later died that evening, Mr Bachelet added, and an investigation into the incident has been opened by the regional prosecutor’s office.
The prosecutor for Albertville said in a statement following his death: “On April 17, 2025, an avalanche broke out shortly after 10am at the entrance to Val Thorens.
“A British man, who was lying at the side of the road, was buried and swept about fifteen meters below.” Ludovic Trautmann, director of the Savoie prefecture, said the landslide in which the Brit died was one of four reported in Les Menuires and Val Thorens, and one of two that reached the town centre.
He said: “Four landslides have been reported in Les Menuires and Val Thorens. Two of which reached the town centre. Given the conditions in the coming days, we are calling for the utmost vigilance. The buried person was affected by the landslide at the bottom of the resort.”
Continued heavy snow in the Savoie area has led Meteo France to issue an orange alert for a “strong or very strong avalanche risk”, with the agency adding: “Many avalanches may occur spontaneously and may affect road networks and houses.” Other resorts, including Tignes and Val Thoren have been placed on lockdown.
As local officials support family members of the man who died in the avalanche, holidaymakers at the resorts have been told not to leave their accommodation for safety reasons as the risk persists across the area.
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