PROSECUTORS MULL MANSLAUGHTER FOR ACCIDENTAL AVALANCHE

PROSECUTORS MULL MANSLAUGHTER FOR ACCIDENTAL AVALANCHE

(ANSA) - Belluno, February 9 - An avalanche last weekend that left one man dead and another severely injured could lead to charges of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors in the Alpine town of Belluno said Tuesday.

Investigators said they were looking into the possibility the snowslide may have been triggered by the group of three cross-country skiers as they ventured outside the safe limits outlined by mountain authorities.

One of the men was killed in the accident, while another is in intensive care at a hospital in the nearby city of Trento.

The third member of the group was reportedly unharmed.

The incident was one of several Alpine avalanches last weekend that left a total of eight people dead prompting a controversial government proposal to jail climbers and skiers whose disregard for weather reports leads to loss of life.

One of the measures would make setting off an a deadly avalanche a criminal offense, while the other would impose a 5,000-euro fine for anyone caught touring out-of-bounds in dangerous weather.

But Consumer group Codacons said the measure was superfluous because people responsible for fatal accidents could already be prosecuted under currently existing criminal codes.

In the wake of the string of snowslides last week, an avalanche watch went into effect on Tuesday in the north western Val D'Aosta region.

Raising the alert to three on a scale of five, authorities said high winds, fluctuating temperatures and more snow made for perilous conditions, especially on steeper slopes above the tree line.