The bodies of a French woman and a German couple buried in Swiss avalanches were recovered Friday, bringing the death toll in the Swiss town of Evolene to 12, police said.
The French victim was identified by police only as a 49-year-old woman. Her body was found in the snow from one of two avalanches in the Val d’Herens, a valley in the southern Swiss Alps. The German couple was found inside their car, which had been swept off a road by the snow slide.
The Feb. 21 avalanches destroyed several chalets as they roared down between the villages of Evolene and Les Hauderes. It had been a week since the ninth victim was found.
Police began searching for the couple from Duesseldorf, Germany, after failing to find any trace of them elsewhere in Valais. They were last seen at a gas station in southern Germany a few hours before the avalanches hit. They were on their way to spend a week’s vacation in the same valley.
