Skier pushes brothers out of helicopter seconds earlier than lethal Alps avalanche | EUROtoday

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A British skier saved the lives of two brothers by pushing them out of a helicopter simply seconds earlier than it was taken down a mountain by a horror avalanche within the Swiss Alps.

Edward Courage shoved younger brothers Teddy and Guy Hitchens out of the stricken helicopter because it tumbled off the height of the Petit Combin mountain close to Verbier on Tuesday morning.

Mr Courage, in his 70s, stored calm earlier than leaping to security himself earlier than the Air-Glaciers B3-type chopper was consumed by the avalanche, killing pilot Jerome Lovey, fellow skier James Goff and knowledgeable information Adam George.

Mr Courage fell down the slope a number of hundred ft earlier than being found round 5 hours later with a lot of damaged bones. Like the 2 brothers, he was taken to hospital the place is was present process remedy.

The Hitchens’ mother and father, Richard and Maeve, stated in a press release reported by The Telegraph: “Our thoughts are with the families of James, Adam and the pilot for their appalling losses.

“Ted was released from hospital today on crutches. Guy is still in hospital. No operations currently required but severely beaten up and bed-bound.”

A spokesperson for Valais regional police power stated: “Having reached the summit of a mountain culminating at 3,668 metres above sea level, for a reason that the investigation will have to determine, the aircraft slid down the northern slope.”

Helicopter proprietor Air Glaciers, who was additionally concerned within the rescue efforts, advised native media: “We are deeply shocked by this event. Our thoughts are with the families and relatives of the victims.”

Seven rescue helicopters have been deployed to the realm, serving to extract two of the folks on board and carrying them to a close-by hospital, a police assertion stated. Another particular person was rescued however three others have been discovered lifeless.

Federal prosecutors are to take cost of the investigation together with regional and nationwide police.

It comes after an American teenager and two different folks have been killed in an avalanche close by, near the Swiss resort of Zermatt.

Alex Beiga’s swimming coach confirmed the 15-year-old was one of many individuals who have been killed.

“Alex was the first one to say ‘yes, let’s do it, let’s go make memories.’ He was just so vibrant, so full of life,” stated Emilija Mockus, a household good friend. “The only calm part of me is that knowing how adventurous he was and how much he loved skiing was that he, he was looking at the most beautiful mountains.”

The avalanche occurred at about 2pm Monday in an off-piste space of the Riffelberg, above the resort and beneath the famed Matterhorn peak.

Rescuers recovered three our bodies and the injured skier, a 20-year-old Swiss man.

Last month a household of 5 who “lost their bearings” froze to loss of life throughout an icy storm on an Alps ski tour.

The cross-country skiers, 5 of them members of the identical household from Valais canton, went lacking close to the three,710 metre-high Tête Blanche mountain on Saturday on the Zermatt-Arolla path.

Brothers Jean-Vincent Moix, 30, David Moix, 27, and Laurent Moix, 21 have been discovered lifeless on the mountain alongside their cousin Marc Moix, 44, and uncle Joel Moix, 58.

More than a dozen folks have misplaced their lives in avalanches in Switzerland since October final yr.