Mont Blanc, six alpinists perish on Aiguille d'Argentiere

Yet another tragedy in the Mont Blanc massif where yesterday, on the slopes of Aiguille d'Argentiere, the bodies of six alpinists were found dead, including one mountain guide.

According to www.ledauphine.com the group, which formed part of the UCPA (Union nationale des centres sportifs de plein air), had left the Argentiere refuge at 4:00 am to ascend L’Aiguille d’Argentière via the Arête de Flèche rousse, a route that usually requires between 14 and 16 hours.

Worried about the group not arriving on time, the Argentiere hut warden raised the alarm. A search operation was launched immediately and after two helicopter flights that afternoon, yesterday morning the PGHM rescue squad located the bodies and confirmed the tragic deaths of the five men and one woman. An investigation is underway about the cause of the deaths.