  Valfréjus avalanche Location within France | |
| Date | January 18, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Time | 13:50 (12:50GMT) |
| Location |  Massif des Cerces, Alps |
| Cause | Unstable snow formations |
| Participants | 51 |
| Casualties | |
| 6 dead, 5 injured | |
On 18 January 2016, six French Foreign Legionnaires were killed in an avalanche in the Massif des Cerces, France. [1] [2]
The combination of heavy winter snowfall and strong winds in the Alps led to unstable snow formations in the high peaks. The avalanche warning was raised to 3 out of 5 (Considerable) beforehand. [3]
An avalanche bulletin for the mountain sector warned that a single skier could trigger a surface slide that could then take several layers in the snow pack down to 2 meters deep. [4]
On 18 January, a division of 51 Legionnaires, [1] [2] assigned to the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2nd REG) took part in an off-piste ski mountain exercise, to receive their Skier Certificate (BSM).
| Citizenship | Deaths |
|---|---|
| France | 1 [5] * |
 Madagascar | 1 [5] * |
 Italy | 1 [5] |
 Nepal | 1 [5] |
 Moldova | 1 [5] |
 Albania | 1 [5] |
 Hungary | 1 [6] |
| Total | 6 |
The (2nd REG) provides combat engineering services to the French Army's 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade, who were also present during the military exercise. [7] [8] The course took place 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Albertville and near the Valfréjus ski resort, in the Massif des Cerces. [8] [9]
The company was at a height of 2,600m (8,500 ft) when the avalanche struck at 13:50, while 5-6 of the skiers neared Col de Le Petit Argentier. A large slab of ice, about 100 meters wide, broke off a ridge causing a mass avalanche. Several branches of snow about 400 meters wide, engulfed 13 of the skiers in a steep sector of the valley. [2] [5] [10] In all, 18 of the skiers downstream were either buried or shaken. The rest of the company remained at the foot of the slope, near the Pas du Roc peak. [11]
Rescue teams arrived within minutes. [9] The 13 skiers were recovered and found buried under a meter of snow by rescuers with the help of search dogs and avalanche victim detection kits (DVA)'s they were equipped with. [8] [12]
French military and state prosecutors are investigating the case and assessing whether the unit took unnecessary risks. [4] [8] [5] According to French media, the unit was due to be sent on a military operation. Around one-third of the company was projected to be deployed to the Sahel in the coming months in coordination with Operation Barkhane. [3] [11]
French president François Hollande expressed "the nation’s solidarity" over the deaths and wished the injured a speedy recovery. He asked Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to head to the scene of the accident. [1] [4]
The nationalities of the 6 Legionnaires killed, a mix of veterans and new recruits, [13] was released the following day. A Malagasy (dual French citizenship), Italian, Nepalese, Moldovan, Albanian, and Hungarian, aged between 21 and 33 were killed. [5] [6]