Skiers ride down the slopes of the Zermatt ski resort near the Mount Matterhorn in Zermatt in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. A Naperville teenager and two other people were killed Monday in an avalanche near the Swiss resort, police said.
Associated Press file photo, 2012
Naperville Central High School freshman Alexsas Beiga and two other people were killed in an avalanche near the Swiss resort of Zermatt, police said Tuesday. One person was flown to a hospital with serious injuries.
The avalanche occurred at about 2 p.m. Monday in an off-piste area of the Riffelberg, above the resort and below the famed Matterhorn peak. Rescuers recovered three bodies and the injured skier, a 20-year-old Swiss man.
The victims were the 15-year-old Beiga, as well as a man and a woman whose identification has not yet been concluded, police in Valais canton said in a statement. They gave no further details but said they currently have no information on the woman’s identity.
On Tuesday, Naperville Central Principal Jackie Thornton sent an email to school parents notifying them “with profound sadness” of Beiga’s death during a spring break trip in Switzerland.
“Our sincere condolences go out to Alex’s family and friends,” Thornton wrote.
A Naperville Central coach on Wednesday said Beiga was a member of the Redhawks boys swim team and also a member of the school’s ski and snowboard club.
A GoFundMe account to support the Beiga family was started Tuesday. The account had already raised over $37,000 as of Wednesday evening.
“Beyond his adventurous spirit, Aleksas was a beacon of kindness and intelligence,” wrote Neringa Mockus, the organizer of the GoFundMe account.
“His warmth and empathy knew no bounds, and he had a remarkable ability to uplift those around him with his words and actions.”
Prosecutors were investigating the avalanche.
Last month, five members of a Swiss family were found dead after going missing while cross-country skiing near the Matterhorn in difficult weather conditions. Authorities abandoned the search for a sixth missing person days later.
