Slovenia’s emergency rescue teams save 4 French citizens who were stuck in bad weather in the Alps

Slovenia’s emergency mountain teams on Monday rescued four French citizens who were stuck in bad weather in the Alps, the rescue service said.

The operation on the Skuta mountain came a day after dozens of emergency workers used helicopters to rescue another five people swept away by an avalanche in an Alpine region further north. They were part of a group of seven people attending a mountaineering course when the avalanche hit. Three people were seriously injured.

The French citizens brought down from the Skuta mountain on Monday were unharmed, said Katarina Janjic from the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia.

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The group had stayed overnight in a mountain shelter because they lacked proper equipment to descend, she told the official STA news agency.

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Slovenia’s rescue service has urged mountaineers to avoid climbing in bad weather. They said spring conditions mean avalanches could be unleashed easily because of changeable temperatures and unstable snow.

The rescue operation on Sunday involved 60 people who worked for seven hours in risky conditions, rescue officers said.

“One can’t help but wonder whether it would not have been better to stay home for Easter,” said rescue officer Klemen Belhar.