Six Swiss Soldiers Killed Avalanched (15 May 2008)

In July, 2007, 14 Swiss soldiers were taken on an ascent of the Jungfrau by their UIAGM guides. In the ensuing avalanche, six of the soldiers were killed. Their guides face a criminal enquiry. This avoidable tragedy mirrors, to a degree, a fatal accident on the Aiguille Vert in July, 1964, when nine aspirant guides were taken into slab avalanche conditions by five UIAGM guides; instructors from ENSA, Chamonix. The nine clients and five qualified guides died when they were all avalanched down the Cordier Couloir.