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ALPS

Scout leader sentenced over boy’s hiking death

The leader of a scout camp guilty of negligence in the mountain hiking death of a 13-year-old boy received a suspended sentence from a police court in the canton of Fribourg on Tuesday.

Scout leader sentenced over boy’s hiking death
The Pointe de Paray in winter. Photo: Ludovic Péron

The 31-year-old man was handed a fine of 36,000 francs, suspended for a period of two years, after admitting to his role in the death of the teen almost two years ago during an excursion, local daily La Liberté reported online.

The victim died on August 3rd after falling from a steep slope in the region Pointe de Paray, a mountain in the Bernese Alps above Grandvillard in the canton of Fribourg.

The scout leader was blamed for under-estimating the risks of a hike for which he over-estimated the capabilities of the young boys, La Liberté said.

Among several acts of negligence, the leader did not take sufficient account of an unfavorable weather forecast, the newspaper reported.

He also remained unreachable by mobile phone when the young scouts in difficulty tried to call him for help.

The accident occurred while separate groups of scouts were in the process of conducting a two-day walk through the mountains, according to earlier media reports.

The victim was among a group of four scouts who lost their way after taking the wrong path.

After walking until 1am they slept on rocks without knowing where they were.

The following day they walked down a sleep slope and the victim slipped and plunged 300 metres.

The scout leader acknowledged his responsibility back in February when the prosecution and his defence lawyer agreed to the suspended penalty.

That penalty was confirmed, through a simplified process, by a police court in the Gruyère region.
 

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SKI

Dad’s ‘miracle escape’ after being buried by avalanche in French Alps

A man out walking with his family in the French Alps has made a miraculous escape from an avalanche after spending more than two and a half hours trapped under snow, rescuers said.

Dad's 'miracle escape' after being buried by avalanche in French Alps
Ski lifts in France are closed, but visitors and locals are free to enjoy other outdoor sports. Photo: AFP

The 50-year-old father was snowshoeing near the high-altitude Val d'Isere ski resort with his wife and two children on Thursday without anti-avalanche safety equipment.

“Thank to the mobilisation of nearly 100 people… the man was found alive after two hours and 40 minutes of searching,” the police for the local Savoie département announced on Twitter.

Because of the depth of the snow, rescue dogs were unable to detect a trace, but the man was eventually dug out by a specialised mountain police team which used a Wolfhound device to locate his mobile phone under the ice.

“I think it's a miracle,” Alexandre Grether from the PGHM rescue team told the France 3 local news channel, adding that the man was found 2.5 metres (eight feet) below the surface.

The chances of survival after more than 20 minutes in an avalanche are usually slim.

“He was protected by a tree, that's what prevented him from being crushed by all the ice that slid down. The snow had surrounded him, but he had a pocket of air,” he explained.

The victim is expected to make a full recovery after suffering a fracture to his hip.

The avalanche risk on Thursday was at its maximum – five on a scale of five – and rescuers urge people to always check the snow conditions before venturing out.

READ ALSO 'Whole season a write-off' – what next for France's ski resorts?

Ski lifts in the Alps, which have seen some of their heaviest snowfalls in years in January, are currently closed because of restrictions imposed by the government to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Visitors and locals are free to enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing, but occupancy levels in hotels and chalets are way down and business owners and seasonal staff face serious hardships.

The government has promised an economic support package for the sector.

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