The Belgian was killed in Evolène, a municipality in south-western Switzerland. She was hit by a boulder while hiking and could not be resuscitated.
36-year-old Belgian woman dies after being hit by falling rock in Swiss Pennine Alps
Colin Clapson
Published:
"A rock came unstuck from the mountain and then slid down a few metres onto a field of snow. The boulder then hit a hiker walking on the path below the Bertol Hut," police in the canton of Valais said. The Bertol Hut is a mountain cabin overlooking the Bertol Pass.
The accident happened yesterday when the woman was making her way down from the Bertol Hut.
Rescue workers from Air-Glaciers, the police and the fire brigade, specialising in rescue operations, quickly arrived at the scene, but could only confirm the woman's death.
The Central Valais prosecutor's office has launched an investigation.
The “Cabane de Bertol” or Bertol Hut is located at an altitude of 3,311 metres near the mountain Pointe de Bertol (3,499 metres) in the canton of Valais.
Last weekend, a 22-year-old hiker from Bruges was killed in Austria. He is believed to have slipped while climbing a path around Mount Geißstein.