Sunday, 8 June 2014, at 3pm local time, a seracs avalanche carried eleven mountaineers down the north face of Aiguille du Midi (below Glacier Rond).
North face of Aiguille du Midi (below Glacier Rond) at 3pm, local time: three snowslides 30 to 50 meters long and 50-80 meters deep, hit eleven mountaineers who were climbing to the summit of Mont Blanc (via the Grands Mulets hut).
The PGHM responded promptly to the call for help and rescued all eleven people. One of the mountaineers suffered minor injuries, was transported by helicopter to the hospital of Sallanches. No other injuries were inflicted to the rest of the mountaineers.
Every year, the summit of Mont Blanc becomes the ultimate objective for mountaineers from all over the world, all striving to stand on the top of Europe and look down at all of the major summits of the Alps. The north face of Aiguille du Midi is a very popular route among those who ascend to the summit of Mont Blanc.
By June all snow in the valley will have melted, but in the high mountains, the snow and risk of avalanches persist. Always pay attention to weather conditions, due to the current rise of temperatures, the risk of high mountain avalanches increases.
