Skier dies after avalanche rescue in Baqueira Beret, possibility of second skier also missing

A skier died on Sunday evening after being rescued in the afternoon from an avalanche in Baqueira Beret ski resort, in the northwesternmost point of Catalonia.

The events happened in Beret, in the French area, and the French Pompièrs contacted the Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra police at 5:55 pm. The rescue team was the one in charge of announcing his passing.

On Monday morning, the mountain unit of the Mossos, with the help of the K-9 unit and the emergency services, restarted rescue operations looking for a potential second skier. Pompièrs from Aran region ruled out that the ski they found near the area belonged to a second skier.

Jordi López, head of the unit, said that thanks to a sticker from the ski, they were able to see that it had been rented last year, and was given for lost.

The avalanche outside the ski resort has over 200 meters in length, and it is not even a quarter of the area where it happened.

Mossos have not received any missing people reports, and the only car found at the parking was from the previously found victim. Police found that in the car there was only material for one person, which makes agents believe that there were no other casualties at the avalanche.

Over the weekend, experts reported heavy snowfall in the Western Pyrenees, and Catalan civil protection issued a warning of the risk of avalanches.

Several roads were blocked to traffic, and drivers were forced to use snow chains on many others.