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France opens manslaughter probe over Les Arcs avalanche death

French authorities have opened a manslaughter investigation following the death of a Russian woman in an avalanche that hit her on a piste intended for intermediate skiers at the popular resort of Les Arcs, officials said Friday. Most avalanche deaths occur when enthusiasts venture off piste and the hard-packed slopes on which holiday-makers enjoy themselves are generally considered risk-free.

Five snowboarders dead in Colorado avalanche

Five off-piste snowboarders were killed after being caught in an avalanche in Colorado, the Denver Post reported on its website Saturday. The newspaper said the five fatalities occurred near the Loveland Ski Area, 56 miles (90 kilometers) west of Denver, citing the local sheriff's office. A sixth snowboarder with the group had survived the avalanche, the Post reported, while alpine rescue teams were on the scene. rcw/mdl

Four skiers die in French Alps avalanches

Four cross-country skiers died in avalanches in the French Alps on the weekend, officials said as they warned of snow melting under springtime sun creating a heightened danger. A 60-year-old man died on Saturday in the Haut-Alpes region. The three others -- part of a group of five Frenchmen being guided up the Vanoise Mountain -- died Sunday in the Savoie region. Their companion and their guide survived and were hospitalised.

One dead in Norway avalanche: police

An avalanche in an off-piste ski area killed one person in Tromsoe in Norway's far north on Sunday while a second person escaped unharmed, police said. "One person was found and underwent medical treatment at the site," but was later "confirmed dead", police spokesman Gunnar Baardsen said. The second person caught in the avalanche was not injured. Baardsen gave no information about the identity of the dead person, but Norwegian media reported it was a man in his 30s. Avalanche warnings have been issued in the area on an almost daily basis lately, Baardsen said.

Two skiers killed in fresh avalanche tragedy

Two off-piste skiers died Wednesday in an avalanche near the resort of Tignes, a day after four climbers were killed in similar circumstances in another part of the French Alps. The victims, an instructor and his client, were swept to their deaths by a wall of snow they most likely triggered themselves as they passed through a wooded area at 2,100m altitude, station director Arnaud Trinquier told AFP.

Russia searches for six teens missing in avalanche

Russia sent more than 160 rescuers to a remote Siberian mountainside on Tuesday in a frantic hunt for six teenage boys who are feared dead after being trapped by an avalanche. The search with sniffer dogs was however hampered by bad weather and the risk of further avalanches, the emergency situations ministry said. The boys aged 14 to 18 were overtaken by the avalanche Sunday as they descended the Ak-Bashtyg mountain in the Tyva region of southern Siberia, the central Investigative Committee said.

UPDATE 2-Skier killed in British Columbia avalanche

(Adds confirmation of skier's death by Canadian police) By Jeffrey Hodgson Feb 22 (Reuters) - A skier was killed in British Columbia on Friday after being caught in an avalanche in an out-of-bounds area near a mountain ski resort, Canadian police said. The avalanche buried three skiers well outside of the controlled area boundaries of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement. The resort is located in the southeastern part of the Canadian province.

Quirky comedy film "Prince Avalanche" charms Berlin

* Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch star in "Prince Avalanche" * Misfits pair up for tedious job in remote forest * Director David Gordon Green adapts Icelandic comedy By Mike Collett-White BERLIN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Cinema has a new odd couple in "Prince Avalanche", a low-budget film set in the remote, fire-ravaged forests of Texas and starring Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch as an unlikely pair of workers painting markings on a seemingly endless road.

AFP Videographics

We will resend the following videographic: AVALANCHES An avalanche in a Himalayan region of northern India killed at least five villagers Wednesday when their houses were buried under heavy snow. A rescue operation was launched despite the heavy snowfall in the tribal area bordering Tibet, with forecasters warning of the possibility of more avalanches. Text slug: India-avalanche-weather ANIMATION IN FLASH FORMAT: Flash CS5, Player 10, Avalanches0702VFLA_TEN, 1800 GMT ANIMATION IN VIDEO FORMAT: Format 16:9, Avalanches0702VGRX_TEN, 1800 GMT
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