03 April 2024 , 21:19
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Three Brits managed to survive a horror ordeal on the Swiss Alps after a helicopter crash and falling down a 100ft crevasse - with three others confirmed dead.
Edward Courage and young brothers Teddy and Guy Hitchens have been named as the trio who survived when the stricken aircraft slid along the slopes, it has been reported.
Local dad-of-two Jerome Lovey was at the helm of the helicopter when it crashed. Young skier James Goff and their New Hampshire-born guide Adam George also perished in the Air-Glaciers B3-type helicopter. The pilot had planned to drop the group off at the peak of the Petit Combin mountain in Verbier yesterday morning.
One of the Brits fell 100ft down a crevasse (VALAIS CANTONAL POLICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Valais canton police said: “Having reached the summit of a mountain culminating at 3,668m above sea level, for a reason that the investigation will have to determine, the aircraft slid down the northern slope.”
A skier who arrived at the summit shortly after told the Telegraph: “We landed after them on the south side of Le Petit Combin and saw the avalanche. It was horrific. We couldn’t make out the helicopter, it was consumed in the avalanche. We heard of the crash over the radio. We were advised to get safely off the mountain.”
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It's understood that Mr Courage, who is in his seventies, plunged down a 1,640ft near-vertical slope before tumbling down another 100ft crevasse. Miraculously, he and the Hitchens brothers survived, ending up in close proximity on the slope. He is currently undergoing treatment for broken bones, it has been reported.
It didn't take long for the emergency response to recover the brothers, but Mr Courage was stranded for five hours before being winched up to safety from the crevasse ledge.
Adam George is believed to have died in the crashTheir parents Richard and Maeve told The Daily Telegraph: “Our thoughts are with the families of James, Adam and the pilot for their appalling losses. Ted was released from hospital today on crutches. Guy is still in hospital. No operations currently required but severely beaten up and bed-bound.”
Meanwhile, tragic victim Mr George has been described as highly experienced, who had scaled some of the area's most dangerous mountains A GoFundMe has been set up for his wife and daughter ahead of his funeral next week. Mr Lovey, the pilot, had also been working as an instructor. He had been operating helicopters full-time for Air-Glaciers since September 2022.
Yesterday, authorities said they'd opened an investigation to determine why the light utility helicopter skidded off its landing zone near the 3,668-metre Petit Combin peak in south-western Switzerland, the regional Valais police said. Seven rescue helicopters were deployed to the area, helping extract two of the people onboard and carrying them to a nearby hospital, a police statement said.
Another person was rescued but three others were found dead. Police did not immediately specify who the victims and survivors were. Federal prosecutors are to take charge of the investigation along with regional and national police.