Family of avalanche victim visit scene

18 March 2019, 15:04

The sister and brother of one of three climbers killed in an avalanche on the UK's highest peak have visited the scene of the tragedy.

Swiss national Mathieu Biselx, 30, was the only survivor of the avalanche on Ben Nevis last Tuesday.

He lost three members of his climbing group who were members of the Swiss Alpine Club in the town of Sion in the southwestern canton of Valais.

Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team (LMRT) said that two family members visited the scene of the avalanche at the weekend.

In a post on Facebook they wrote: "Today some of the team with Graeme from Scottish Avalanche Information Service took a friend from the Swiss Alpine Club, a sister and brother of one of the No 5 Gully casualties, up to the scene of the accident so that they could have a better appreciation of the incident and report back to family and friends in France and Switzerland."

Two of the avalanche victims were French, aged 41 and 32, and the third was a Swiss 43-year-old.

LMRT also asked climbers to look out for ice tools belonging to the four climbers which have not yet been recovered, although they have collected most of their equipment and effects which will soon be repatriated to France and Switzerland.

LMRT wrote: "We have not recovered the ice tools of the four climbers and the families have asked if we can put out a request to the UK climbing community to ask that if they find any ice tools below No 5 Gully/Moonlight Gully Buttress area if they could hand them into the police station in Fort William or to the Lochaber MRT base.

"This equipment is symbolically very important for the families and if you do happen to be in area please have a look and it would be very much appreciated if they could be found and returned."

They added: "On behalf of the families and friends we have been asked to pass on their gratitude for all the assistance and kindness they have received from all the people who have been involved in the incident."