Mont blanc Avalanche: Rescue crew finds second body of Swedish skiers

Rescue crews recovered a second body Monday in a search for two Swedish skiers who were caught in an avalanche near Mont Blanc on Italy’s northern border with France, authorities said.

Two people who were part of the group of four off-piste skiers survived Sunday’s avalanche in the Val Veny, above Courmayeur, and had sounded the alarm.

Due to bad weather Sunday, rescue crews weren't able to use helicopters to reach the site but had to get there with snowmobiles. By Monday the skies had cleared and a helicopter identified the body of the second missing skier after the first one had been found Sunday.

The city of Courmayeur confirmed that the victims were two Swedish women in their 20s, city spokesman Moreno Vignolini said in an email.

Both bodies were brought to Courmayeur for identification purposes, the Val D’Aosta Alpine Rescue service said in a text message.

The avalanche risk Sunday for the area was a level three — “considerable” danger on a scale of five.