Two avalanches kill three in Italian city

Courmayeur (Italy), March 2 (IANS/AKI) At least three persons were killed and five others were injured, some seriously, after a snowslide in the Val Veny valley near the upscale ski resort of Courmayeur in the Italian Alps, rescuers said.

"Two #avalanches in Valle Aosta: the death toll in Val Veny reaches three. Two skiiers are still missing in Colle San Carlo. Work continues," Alpine search and rescue services tweeted.

Two helicopters, two doctors and a team of sniffer dogs were despatched to the scene, search and rescue services said.

The avalanche hit some 20 people, who were believed to be foreigners, just before 1 p.m. local time. It was not immediately clear if some or all of the victims were skiing off-piste at the time.

A second avalanche struck Val d'Aosta at the Colle San Carlo Pass soon afterwards, engulfing two skiiers.

--IANS/AKI

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