FRANCE: SEARCH FOR SUVIVORS FOLLOWING AVALANCHES (2)
(10 Feb 1999) Eng/French/Nat
Two Americans from California who survived the avalanche horror in the French Alps have described their ordeal.
The chalet of the young couple was hit by the same wall of snow that killed at least 10 people near the popular ski resort Chamonix on Tuesday.
The search continues for two more people who remain missing.
But the Americans' story of survival has given renewed hope to rescuers who believe they may have pinpointed the area where the missing people may be trapped.
Two avalanches, just minutes apart, roared down the French Alps just north of the popular French ski resort of Chamonix.
Seventeen chalets in the Alpine villages of Le Tour and Montroc-le-Planet were destroyed and a further six were buried under deep snow.
At least 10 people, including a four-year-old girl, were killed.
The other victims included a man in his 50s, another man and two women.
There were no details of the remaining victims.
All the dead were believed to have been French.
An American couple - 28-year-old Nathan Wallace from Mammoth Lakes in California and his girlfriend Alicia Boyes - survived the nightmarish ordeal.
Wallace and 21-year-old Boyes were rescued after having crouched for two hours under a concrete structure after the roof of their chalet collapsed.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
ALICIA: "Well, we were sitting on the couch, just like a normal afternoon and what we saw was the windows were turning black under a cloud of snow came in and it was black and we were pushed into the corner. The roof collapsed on us."
NATHAN: "I've seen plenty of avalanches but not the kind that come into your house and blow the top of it off. This is, it is more like a California earthquake, the type that levels houses and houses, yeah? Very strong. We were sitting underneath a concrete block above our heads and we were alive but then we heard this thing on top and we didn't know for an hour and a half if the diggers were going to cause the roof to cave in on top of us. Two hours we don't know, just stand and hold."
ALICIA: "Oh God, it was crazy - I popped out all I could see was broken glass and I was trying not to step on it and people are snapping photos and grabbing me. As soon as I realised and looked around and saw all the people digging for survivors, I realised."
NATHAN: "Yeah, large scale, a catastrophe."
SUPER CAPTION: Nathan Wallace and Alicia Boyes, Survivors
A 12-year-old boy who lost both his parents in the avalanche was also among the survivors.
He spent hours trapped under the snow before being rescued.
The boy, who was not identified, was being treated for hypothermia in a local hospital.
Seven other children were among more than 20 others pulled out of the snow alive.
Five of the survivors suffered minor injuries.
Others described how they narrowly escaped the avalanche.
SOUNDBITE: (French)
"I heard a big noise. Then my wife shouted 'Avalanche, avalanche.' We were not actually hit. But the chalet next door was completely buried, the windows were broken, it was totally destroyed. We really think that it was a big avalanche and we were a hair's breadth from catastrophe."
SUPER CAPTION: Witness
At least two people remain missing, almost a day after the avalanches barreled down the mountainside.
But the search continued with renewed hope after rescue teams pinpointed a certain area under a specific chalet where it is believed they could be trapped.
At the height of the rescue operation, there were 200 rescuers working in the snow.
Unable to reach the villages by vehicle or helicopter, they were forced to resort to skis.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: / ap_archive
Facebook: / aparchives
Instagram: / apnews
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...