1000-meter fall

Series of accidents on the Matterhorn: three climbers dead

In summer, up to 200 climbers a day attempt the challenging ascent of the Matterhorn.

(Bild: Guenther Goeberl)

Three mountaineers have fallen to their deaths on the Swiss Matterhorn within a week. The Matterhorn is considered one of the deadliest mountains in the world. 

As the police in the canton of Valais announced on Saturday, one mountaineer died on Friday when he fell around 800 meters. Just a few days earlier, two mountaineers had fallen 1000 meters to their deaths.

Bodies discovered during reconnaissance flight
These two mountaineering companions had set off from a mountain hut on Wednesday morning to climb the 4478-metre-high peak. When they did not return from their tour as planned, a search operation was launched. During a reconnaissance flight, the two were discovered lifeless on the north face of the Matterhorn.

Storm front
According to the police, the two dead have not yet been identified and the cause of the accident is still being investigated. The landlord of the Hörnli hut, where the two alpinists had been staying, reported that a thunderstorm front had moved in a few hours after their departure. "It probably caught them", he told the German Press Agency.

According to the police, the man who died on Friday was probably alone on the Matterhorn. He fell around 800 meters onto the Matterhorn glacier while descending at an altitude of around 4,200 meters. This alpinist has not yet been identified either.

The Matterhorn is considered one of the deadliest mountains in the world. Since the first ascent in 1865, hundreds of people have lost their lives on the way to the striking summit.