One dead, one wounded in Swiss avalanche drama

One person was killed and another wounded in an avalanche in southern Switzerland, near the borders of France and Italy.

Local police reported that four people were swept up by the avalanche Sunday morning near the area of Bovernier in the Swiss canton of Valais.

A Swiss skier lost his life trapped under a one-and-a-half-metre thick blanket of snow, according to police.

Two others survived the avalanche unscathed and helped rescue the fourth person from the snow. The latter was hurt and flown to a hospital by helicopter.

Valais is home to Switzerland’s iconic Matterhon mountain and upscale Alpine resorts.