GENEVA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Four people went missing on Friday after being swept away by an avalanche in a ski area in Switzerland, while two other skiers caught up in the avalanche managed to free themselves, according to local police.
The incident took place on Friday afternoon in the Vallon d'Arbi region near to Riddes in canton Vaud.
Switzerland has experienced unusually high levels of snow this winter, resulting in raised avalanche warnings to the maximum alert in several areas.
Earlier this year, thousands of tourists were cut off in the popular resort of Zermatt in southern Switzerland's Valais canton, as the risk of avalanches twice forced the authorities to close rail and road links.
The resorts of Saas-Fee and Andermatt, both in the Swiss Alps, were also snowed in for a period. In late February, at least three skiers and mountaineers have lost their lives in separate avalanches in the Swiss Alps.
This winter has already seen a record number of dynamite-triggered avalanches in the Swiss Alps. The reason is the huge amount of snowfall.
For safety reasons, Swiss ski resort and security authorities have set off thousands of avalanches this winter, blowing up 120 metric tonnes of explosives so far. In a normal winter, some 80 to120 tonnes would be sufficient for the whole season.
