It was supposed to be a happy day on the ski slopes but it turned into tragedy when a mass of snow broke off the mountain and overwhelmed two young skiers in the Piccolo San Bernardo area, above La Thuile. One died of severe trauma. His name was Lorenzo Bonafè, he was 25 years old and lived in Milan. The friend was half buried and managed to pull himself out of the snow by himself. A third descent companion gave the alarm.
According to the first reconstruction of the Valle d'Aosta Alpine Rescue, the group had gone up to altitude with the Chaz Dura lifts and was descending off-piste in a narrow gully: suddenly a part of the slope, unstable due to the "wind" snow that had accumulated, he began to slide towards the valley, finding the two young skiers on his way. The avalanche ended up on a slope which is currently closed. The helicopter intervened on the spot.
Bonafè was recovered under about 80 centimeters of snow. He was immediately transferred to the Parini hospital in Aosta where he arrived in "very serious" conditions. The emergency room doctors intubated him and tried to revive him for over an hour, but to no avail.
(Unioneonline / ss)
