The Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps has been the site of two tragic deaths in as many days, with a Danish hiker falling to his death on Wednesday and four climbers found dead on the iconic peak itself, CBS News reports.
The 61-year-old Danish hiker was walking through a steep area near Saint-Gervais-les-Bains in the Haute-Savoie department when he slipped and fell some 100 feet. The fall was fatal, according to the PGHM mountain police service in Chamonix.
The latest fatality follows the grim discovery of four climbers – two from Korea and two from Italy – who were found dead on Mont Blanc after becoming stranded for several days in adverse weather conditions. The Haute-Savoie prefecture stated that the four mountaineers “died of exhaustion.”
A senior PHGM commander told regional daily Le Dauphine Libere that they had briefly made contact with the Italian climbers by phone, obtaining their location at 4,600 meters on the north face of Mont Blanc, but the connection was lost.
Mont Blanc, standing at 4,809 meters, is the highest peak in Western Europe and draws climbers from around the globe. However, scaling the mountain carries significant risk.
Last year, Jean-Marc Peillex, the mayor of Saint-Gervais, called for a €15,000 deposit to be paid by climbers to cover potential rescue and funeral costs, citing the increasingly dangerous conditions on Mont Blanc. He denounced “pseudo climbers” who attempt the ascent “with death in their backpacks.”
