Four climbers who disappeared while ascending Mont Blanc in France on Saturday, September 7, 2024 were found dead on Tuesday, September 10, according to French officials. The victims, two Italians and two South Koreans, perished in severe weather conditions near the peak of the highest mountain in Western Europe.
The bodies of the four climbers were discovered by the Chamonix-Mont Blanc search and rescue team on the French side of Mont Blanc. The hikers are thought to have died from hypothermia and/or exhaustion after being stuck in extreme weather for a number of days.
The Italian climbers were identified as 41-year-old Sara Stefanelli and 53-year-old Andrea Galimberti. Their bodies were found in the Mur de la Cote area, a steep icy slope leading to the summit. The two South Korean climbers, a man and a woman in their 40s and 50s, were discovered slightly lower than the Italians.
Two more Korean hikers were rescued alive on Sunday morning following a challenging rescue operation.
Rescue attempts had been hindered since Saturday due to low visibility and dangerous conditions. Several attempts to use helicopters were made, including one on Tuesday morning, but all were forced to turn back. The Italian Search and Rescue Team from Valle d’Aosta climbed to the peak on foot Tuesday morning but were unable to find the lost climbers.
It was only early Tuesday afternoon that a helicopter from the French Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne (PGHM) de Chamonix Mont-Blanc was able to take off when visibility improved, eventually locating the four climbers.
The weather on Mont Blanc had been especially severe in recent days, with temperatures plummeting to 5°F, winds of up to 93 mph, and nearly 20 inches of new snowfall. These conditions not only posed immediate threats to the climbers but also concealed their tracks, further hampering search and rescue efforts.
Galimberti was a seasoned climber, while Stefanelli had just completed a mountaineering course. The pair had successfully reached the top of the Matterhorn just six days prior to their unfortunate expedition on Mont Blanc.
On the same day the bodies were found, a 61-year-old hiker from Denmark fell to his death in the Mont Blanc massif. According to the PGHM mountain police service in Chamonix, the man was traversing a steep area near Saint-Gervais-les-Bains when he slipped and fell approximately 98 feet.
Mont Blanc, with its height of 15,774 feet, attracts numerous climbers but is also notorious for its perils. The mountain has seen an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 fatalities among mountaineers, mainly due to altitude sickness, rockfalls, and avalanches. This recent tragedy underscores the risks inherent in high-altitude mountaineering, even for skilled climbers.
An investigation into the incident has been initiated by local authorities. The mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, where the Italian climbers started their climb, noted that although employing a guide is advised for climbing Mont Blanc, it is not compulsory. He stressed the importance of enhancing the quality of information provided to climbers to help avert future tragedies.
