THE family of the British mum and son who were killed in a devastating avalanche in the French alps have said they are “beyond heartbroken”.
Kate Vokes, 54, and Archie, 22, died on Thursday in what their family describe as a “tragic accident” while skiing off-piste in a Mont Blanc resort.
PAKate and Archie Vokes died in a ‘tragic’ ski accident on Thursday[/caption]
PAAn avalanche swept through across part of the mountain killing the mother and son[/caption]
“We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of our beloved, wonderful Kate and Archie,” the devastated family said in a statement.
“Words cannot express how terrible we all feel nor the hole in our lives that has been left by this tragic accident.
“We kindly ask for privacy as we grieve together as a family.”
The avalanche swept through an off-piste area on the slopes of Mont Joly, at an altitude of 7,545 feet.
It involved a total of eight people – with five of them making a miraculous escape and one of them being injured.
Dozens of mountain rescuers set out to search for the two missing skiers, but found both were later found dead under the snow.
Three other members of the British family, including the husband and father of the deceased, were among those who survived the avalanche.
A third skier, the instructor, was also buried in the snow but later pulled out alive.
Prosecutor Karline Bouisset revealed yesterday that they are currently searching for “two cross-country skiers” who were “upslope” and “could have caused the avalanche”.
An investigation has been launched to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy, which includes a possible manslaughter probe.
Bouisset said the British family knew the slopes well and the risk level at the time was only “moderate” – a level two our of five on the European Avalanche Danger Scale.
An investigating source said: “They were surprised by an avalanche around Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, while off-piste.
“They were in a group of eight people, made up of a ski instructor and his students, when they were hit at a height of around 2300 metres.”
The source continued: “The instructor was detected and pulled out, but the man and woman who were buried perished, following a far more complex and long search.”
The source added: “The initial theory is that another party of skiers higher up triggered the avalanche.”
Saint-Gervais Mayor Jean-Marc Peillex said the weather conditions were too unstable for such risky outings.
“It rained, it snowed, it was warm. There are enough marked paths to ski on,” he told BFM television.
“It’s terrible what happened. A family is decimated, and we are very sad in Saint-Gervais.”
The family also stated that “Kate was chair of the Oglesby Charitable Trust, a director of their family-owned property company Bruntwood, deputy chair of the Royal Exchange Theatre and a trustee of charities Shared Health and Focused Care.
“Archie was a personal trainer at Form in Manchester and in the previous year had achieved his level 1 ski instructor qualification in Canada.”
Earlier this year six people were swept to their deaths after they were caught up in the snow in the Armancette glacier near Mont Blanc.
Authorities said “three groups of skiers” each “supervised by one or two mountain guides” were caught up in the deadly avalanche.
And last year a British woman was buried in an avalanche as she was hiking with two other people on the Argentiere Glacier, one of the Mont Blanc mountain range’s biggest glaciers.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online. Thesun.co.uk is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.